Gymkhana Club
Encyclopedia
The Gymkhana Club is one of the two 18-hole golf
courses in Chennai
, India
. It was established in the late 19th century.
Early membership of the club, was reserved for the Garrison members, British executives and some of the blue blooded members of the Indian gentry. Sports and Games all started, when a tent was put up in the open grounds, where polo and pig sticking was played. The sea change in the club however came about, when the Raja of Venkatagiri donated a Grand stand.
Now from Polo and pig sticking, the club moved on. Cards, Polo, Rugby, Tennis, Golf, Trap Shooting were played by the members with gusto. Further, the South Indian Rajahs nurtured the club with generous donations for buildings, billiards tables and polo ponies.
The history of the club is for the most part, intertwined with the history of India. With the onset of the First World War, calling for an ordinance to expel all the German members of the club, only for the club to later find out that most of its German settlers had erstwhile fled away. With the Indian woman gaining more and more prominence, the club now passed an ordinance to allow Independent women to become members of the club.
A bowling green came up, along with a ball room in the paddock. Dance nights concluded with grand suppers, where starlit pictures of couples dancing in the moonlight were taken by the photographers The Club was alive and radiant, and in due course was facilitated with its swimming pool. It was in this same pool, a few years hence that a special event Major Sammy Lee
, Olympic Diving Champion, performed at the Gymkhana treating over 500 members to an unforgettable diving exhibition, It was around this time that the club kitchen was upgraded with an Ice making plant, Ice – cream machine and a deep freeze cabinet.
A few years hence, amidst much fanfare the Tom Thumb golf area was set up. The Men’s bar, gave way to the new look Mixed Bar, and one would often see a member heading out here after his stint at the Tom Thumb.
It also houses a gym, swimming pool, billiards, table tennis and a cards room.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
courses in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was established in the late 19th century.
History
In April, 1884 that a select gathering of distinguished colonial gentleman founded the “Gymkhana Club” on the Island grounds. It was then that Brig. Gen. Johnson formulated the objectives and rules of the club and christened it the “Gymkhana”.Early membership of the club, was reserved for the Garrison members, British executives and some of the blue blooded members of the Indian gentry. Sports and Games all started, when a tent was put up in the open grounds, where polo and pig sticking was played. The sea change in the club however came about, when the Raja of Venkatagiri donated a Grand stand.
Now from Polo and pig sticking, the club moved on. Cards, Polo, Rugby, Tennis, Golf, Trap Shooting were played by the members with gusto. Further, the South Indian Rajahs nurtured the club with generous donations for buildings, billiards tables and polo ponies.
The history of the club is for the most part, intertwined with the history of India. With the onset of the First World War, calling for an ordinance to expel all the German members of the club, only for the club to later find out that most of its German settlers had erstwhile fled away. With the Indian woman gaining more and more prominence, the club now passed an ordinance to allow Independent women to become members of the club.
A bowling green came up, along with a ball room in the paddock. Dance nights concluded with grand suppers, where starlit pictures of couples dancing in the moonlight were taken by the photographers The Club was alive and radiant, and in due course was facilitated with its swimming pool. It was in this same pool, a few years hence that a special event Major Sammy Lee
Sammy Lee (diver)
Dr. Samuel Lee is the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving...
, Olympic Diving Champion, performed at the Gymkhana treating over 500 members to an unforgettable diving exhibition, It was around this time that the club kitchen was upgraded with an Ice making plant, Ice – cream machine and a deep freeze cabinet.
A few years hence, amidst much fanfare the Tom Thumb golf area was set up. The Men’s bar, gave way to the new look Mixed Bar, and one would often see a member heading out here after his stint at the Tom Thumb.
Accommodation
There are 14 rooms-3 deluxe, 6 regular and 6 suites. Accommodation is provided for members of both domestic and internationally affiliated clubs.All rooms are air-conditioned.Sports
The tennis courts are a great prestige to the club, from the likes of Vijay Amritraj who grew up here in these very own tennis courts. The courts have held several prestigious tournaments for the ITF, and more popularly, the national Women’s tennis ranking championships. All the 4 courts are flood lit.It also houses a gym, swimming pool, billiards, table tennis and a cards room.