On the auspicious day of May 7, 1981, 12 English women grouped up to set up their own clubhouse called the Calcutta Ladies Golf Club, in a lush green corner of the Maidan. About 130 years later, the “baton carriers” of the exclusive club have kept the name alive. From December 2 to 4, CLGC along with RCTC (Royal Calcutta Turf Club) hosted The Gold Cup in association with t2. The Gold Cup was started in 1959 where the trophy made of pure gold was gifted by Captain Her Highness Kumar Rani AC Mahtab. The trophy is made of 400g of pure gold and looks similar to a Ryder Cup. Ever since then the tournament has been played every year, even during the lockdown. The Gold Cup goes to the winning team for 18 holes being played over CLGC and Royal Calcutta Turf Club courses.
For this year’s edition a total of 93 golfers from private clubs and the Army had taken part. Three of the top awards were Best Nett Over 18 Holes (Male and Female) and of course the Gold Cup. People of all ages took part in the tournament.
Big wins
Team Three with Col. S.K. Tiwari (the captain), Krishna Kant Shah and Amit Saraogi were the winners of the Gold Cup. They were up against the runner-up, team 16, with Col. B.L. Das, Col. Anil Choubey and Karishma Sammasder. “I am very thankful to the Ladies Golf Club as they have done a wonderful arrangement. The maintenance and conduction was fantastic. For the last five years I have been trying to get this cup and finally my journey ends here. I’ll be playing but not as a competitor but a supporter,” said Col. S.K. Tiwari (extreme left).
Sheena Rawla had bagged the award for Best Nett Over 18 Holes, Female. “The ladies always do this beautifully. Normally there are a lot of people on the Maidan but during the tournament there was none so it was very well conducted,” she said.
The youngest star of the tournament was 10-year-old Wrichik Mukherjee.
Golfers of all age groups and the organising team came together for a click. “It was wonderful to have ladies, gentlemen and children playing together in the RCTC and Maidan in the crisp winter mornings .The energy was amazing especially when it came to playing a 54-year-old golf tournament where the trophy is made of pure gold,” said Dhritipriya RayDasgupta, president, CLGC (eighth from left).
And the winners are:
Putting Prize Winner: Krishna Paul (44)
Youngest Player Winner: Wrichik Mukherjee (82)
Senior Nine Holes Winner: Manmohan Kohli (38)
Best Nett Over 18 Holes Winner (Female): Sheena Rawla (65)
Best Nett Over 18 Holes Winner (Male): Col. B.L. Das (59)
Gold Cup Runners-up Team: Team 16 (203) (Col. B.L. Das, COL. Anil Choubey, Karishma Sammasder
Gold Cup Winning Team: Team 3 (187) (Col. S.K. Tiwari, Krishna Kant Shah, Amit Saraogi