In its 195th year, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) stands testament to the history and heritage that defines club culture in Kolkata. From golf to darts, from its restaurants to its entertainment extravaganzas, RCGC is at the heart of the good life in the City of Joy. With preparations for RCGC’s bicentenary celebrations for 2029 already underway, My Kolkata caught up with current club captain Gaurav Ghosh to get up to date with all things RCGC, including GG’s captaincy stint. Edited excerpts from the conversation follow.
My Kolkata: What is RCGC looking like in its 195th year? What is the work going on right now?
Gaurav Ghosh: When I took over as captain in 2023, one of the priorities I had was to complete what my previous captain, Rohan Ghosh, had begun. So we completed the entire car park, we started the cart shed, which is already done. We also completed the painting of the entire building, which is a heritage structure. We also worked on the lighting. We’re currently proceeding to do the drainage and irrigation, which is a long-term project to make our course sustainable.
What have been the most important changes you have brought in as captain?
One is a sense of professionalism in the way the club is run. We’re going to be hiring a general manager, who has past experience of running golf clubs. We want to strive for excellence in administration through incremental change. On the food and beverages aspect, my convener, Siddharth Kapoor, has done a fantastic job. We have also engaged a food consultant, who is advising us.
The entertainment convener, Nirmal Agarwal, has continued Royal Saturday Nights, which have become quite the success, not least because they’ve been organised more professionally.
‘RPGL has become an integral part of our club’s activities because it brings the golfing fraternity together’
‘Both golf and darts are very important for the club,’ believes GG Soumyajit Dey
How important have tournaments like the Royal Premier Golf League (RPGL), The Royal Darts Carnival and the Royal Darts Premier League (RDPL) been over the past year?
Both golf and darts are very important for the club. The RPGL has become an integral part of our club’s activities because it brings the golfing fraternity together. Throughout the year, most of the members play with their friends, largely in the four-ball format. But the RPGL engages members to come together.
As far as darts is concerned, it has become very popular. Vivek Jaireth was one of the people who started the darts league and it’s become a very important part of our activities.
Lawn bowling also plays a critical part. Many of our bowlers do very well at the national level, too.
Devesh Srivastava is the president of the Indian Darts Council and also the RCGC darts captain. He took vital steps in making both the darts carnival and the league a big success. How important are these kinds of contributions from other members stepping up for your committee as well as RCGC?
It is paramount. Without contributions from these kinds of committee members, my captaincy would be incomplete. The other sports convener is Samit Malhotra, who is part of our committee. He handles everything. Many other members have also been very active… Soon, we’re going to have a swimming carnival as well. RCGC has become a much more holistic club rather than being just about golf.
At the RDPL, you had spoken about the increased participation from ladies. How important is the increasing role of ladies at what used to be a male-exclusive club?
It’s a no-brainer. A lot of our ladies are very active participants in the committee, including the food department as well as in the gym. Gradually, we’re also seeing more women golfers. I’m sure that they will continue to be pivotal for the success of RCGC going forward.
‘It’s going to be Kolkata’s first such drainage and irrigation system at a golf course’
RCGC’s existing drainage facilities are about to get a major overhaul Amit Pramanik
The new drainage and irrigation project that you are working on looks similar to that of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where the subsoil soaks in the water at a rapid pace. Is that the basic concept?
Yes, exactly. We are also ensuring that the subsoil brings the water down. We will have porous pipes which will go down and take the water to various harvest plants. We will have certain points, five or six areas, from where water harvesting can be done. We have a big advantage through our natural contours and the drains, which were built by the British. So it’s very easy to move water in RCGC. We are marrying our existing drainage as well as new technology to get the best outcome. It’s going to be Kolkata’s first such drainage and irrigation system at a golf course.
With the irrigation project about to get underway, how is the golf going to be affected? Because if you are working on the courses, certain parts will be restricted.
Yes, that’s right. But the objective is to not disturb our members and to ensure that they can play through this as much as possible. There will be areas which will be marked as GUR (Ground Under Repair). At some point, one or two holes could be shut, but we will try to see that the golf is affected as little as possible.
Talk to us about the heritage restoration work that has been taking place at RCGC.
The clubhouse is a heritage structure, so a lot of work had to be done on the roof without breaking anything. Initially, the roof started to disintegrate. It’s more than a century old and a lot of work had to be done. We had engaged a heritage consultant and it took nearly two and a half years to complete the work. Now, finally, the structure is ready. After this, we will start some renovations — the various restaurants, the Mountbatten Lounge and the main lounge. We will start restoring that and creating new infrastructure before the 200-year celebrations.
‘2029 will witness one of the biggest events in RCGC history’
Royal clubs from around the world are expected to be in attendance for RCGC’s bicentenary celebrations in 2029 Amit Pramanik
What are the plans looking like for the next five years, leading up to the bicentenary celebrations?
We have a bicentennial committee, which is headed by an ex-captain. The bicentennial committee’s role is to provide a roadmap to create infrastructure which is in line with the big occasion. We’re expecting many of the Royal clubs coming to RCGC for the celebrations. (Royal clubs are those that have been accorded the royal status by the British monarch.)
How massive is the event likely to be?
2029 will witness one of the biggest events in RCGC history. We hope to have a lot of the Royal clubs participating in this event. We have already got confirmation from the captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (in the UK), who will be attending the event.
A new set of merchandise options are being readied at RCGC with an eye on 2029 Amit Pramanik
What about the merchandising aspect of RCGC heading into 2029?
We have already started creating merchandise for 2029. With every passing year, there should be upgrades, culminating into something big. The idea is that items will be marked each year as 195, 196 and so on. So if someone can get a piece from each of the years, it’ll be a pretty cool set! With a 195 t-shirt or a 197 ball marker and things like that.
Let us shift gears to your personal affiliation with RCGC. When did you become a member? What are your first memories of life at RCGC?
I was brought to this club by my father, who passed away recently. I came here as a seven-year-old. My dad became a member in 1974. My earliest memory of RCGC is from 1976, which is also when I started playing golf here.
‘We owe the survival and sustenance of RCGC to Aveek Sarkar’
Since you have been playing golf at RCGC for almost 50 years, how has the course and the club changed in all this time?
Oh, it’s like heaven and hell, compared with my early days. I think we owe the survival and sustenance of RCGC to Aveek Sarkar, who, along with Ashit Luthra, has been among our most influential captains (the latter is serving as the bicentennial committee chair). Because of the way our labour and other things were structured, we were not in a position to continue. Aveek Sarkar had to lock down the club and shut the gates in 2006-07. That brought about a big transformation, which propelled us to be where we are today.
The RCGC golf course used to have a thoroughfare. So while we used to play golf, there were people right in the middle of the fairway — it was their right to play football and not our right to play golf!
RCGC has hired one of the top landscape consultants in India to beautify the golf course Amit Pramanik
As the current club captain, what does your work entail?
A lot of my work involves interactions with the administration, trying to see that things are running smoothly. And I personally give a lot of time to the golf course. That is basically my passion and my strength. Having said that, I have also made it clear to my committee of what I want from them. It’s up to them how they deliver. To be fair, all of them have surpassed my expectations with the kind of work they are doing.
Would you like to continue as captain?
My committee will decide whether they want me to continue. My idea is to take each year as it comes. Right now the focus is on starting the drainage and irrigation work, which I hope to get started off before the baton is passed. I also believe that this captaincy is actually an honour that the members bestow on you. That’s the reason why you become a captain. Even in the R&A today, the captain is basically an honorary position, which the club bestows on you. And it’s mostly the committee and the people who do the work… I think there are future captains who are ready to take on the baton to ensure the continued success of RCGC.
Standing where you are right now, what does the future look like for RCGC?
I think RCGC is going to be the best club in Asia. The drainage and irrigation changes are going to give us a higher standard of golf course. The other areas, from darts to lawn bowling, from entertainment to food, we’re doing a fantastic job. We’re also floodlighting the 17th and 18th holes as well as the cart path, which is being cemented. We have engaged one of the top landscape consultants in India to work on the landscape and beautification of the golf course. A lot of things are happening and I’m really excited for the future of the club!
‘I will be playing a lot of senior golf and I hope to do well’
‘It’s one of the best periods of my life,’ says Gaurav Ghosh about the current state of his golf Courtesy Gaurav Ghosh
Lastly, coming to your golf, you sacrificed two whole months by not taking part in the RPGL. You were the first captain to opt out. Where is your golf currently?
As far as my golf is concerned, it’s one of the best periods of my life. I’m the national senior champion as well as the national champion. Plus, I’m in the top two in the AVT seniors circuit in the country today. And I’m travelling to South Africa to play the South African seniors in October. I will be playing a lot of senior golf and I hope to do well.
