Tollygunge Club: Just across the road from the Royal Calcutta is the Tollygunge Club. The extensive grounds of the club were originally an indigo plantation, laid out in 1781. In 1895 , Sir William Cruikshank, a banker of repute and a keen sportsman, acquired the estate from Prince Ghulam Mohammad, the son of Tipu Sultan, and founded the Tollygunge. Besides maintaining an 18 hole golf course, the Tollugunge Club also pioneered equestrian sports, and steeple chasing and show umping and still held annually at the Club.
The 100 acre club grounds boast an enviable collection of flowering trees and tropical plants which have been brought from as far as a field as Australia and South America. The foliage provides a home for a number od species of exotic birds.
The 6520 yards, Par 71 course at Yollugunge is fairly easy to tackle but for the large number of water hazards. The fairways are lush green and wide, and the greens well maintained and easy to read. A particularly difficult hole is the 321 yards, par four fourteenth, also known as ‘Hydrophobia’. The player has to cross over a large water tank, built by Prince Ghulam Mohammad and filled with water lilies, to approach the green on the other side. A miscalculated or over swung drive could easily land the ball in the tank or the out-of-bounds area.
