History of Golf in India

The history of golf in India can be traced back to 1829 when the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the first golf club outside the British Islands, came into existence. Gradually other Indian cities followed suit and a number of golf clubs took root in different parts of the country.

The first national-level championship began in 1892 when the Royal Calcutta Golf Club played host to the inaugural All-India Amateur Championship. The tournament has the distinction of being the second oldest tournament in the world after the British Open (1860).

Golf in India took an organized structure with the formation of the Indian Golf Union (IGU) as the central governing body in 1955. In 1962, the prestigious Indian Open was launched as the first international golf tournament in India with legendary Australian golfer, Peter Thomson emerging victorious.

In 1970, the Indian Open received a major boost when it joined the Asian Golf Circuit and the competing field became stronger and stronger thereafter.