The Kolar Gymkhana Golf Club

The Kolar Gymkhana Golf Club, commonly known as The KGF Gymkhana, sits in Kolar, Karnataka, in the historic gold mining region east of Bangalore. The course traces its origins to the British colonial era when Kolar Gold Fields was one of the world's deepest and most productive gold mining operations. The club served the mining community and remains a vestige of that industrial heritage, though the mines themselves ceased operations in the early 2000s. The course is attributed to Swan, though detailed documentation of the original design and construction is limited. Like many clubs established during the colonial period in India, the layout likely evolved through practical routing over available land near the mining township, with subsequent modifications over the decades. The terrain in this region is characterized by rocky outcrops and scrubland typical of Karnataka's interior plateau, presenting natural challenges for golf course design and maintenance. The club functions as a social and recreational center for the local community, maintaining traditions established during its early years while adapting to contemporary Indian golf. The course provides a playing opportunity in a region where golf facilities are relatively sparse compared to major metropolitan areas. The setting retains a quiet, somewhat remote character reflective of Kolar's distance from urban centers and its transition from mining town to agricultural and service economy.