best golf courses in India
India’s golf scene is a lot bigger than people realize. It’s moved past being just a niche sport for the elite and has become a legitimate way to find some quiet and hang out with friends. There are now more than 400 courses across the country, ranging from century-old greens in Delhi to modern layouts in the mountains. Whether you’re a serious player or just starting out, the variety is impressive. We’ve put together a list of 15 courses that stand out, not just for the difficulty of the holes, but for the overall experience of playing there. If you’re planning a golf trip in India, these are the spots that actually live up to the hype.
Location: HAL Old Airport Rd, Embassy Golf Links Business Park, Challaghatta, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560008, India
Karnataka Golf Association
KGA is one of India’s standout courses, which is impressive considering the site used to be a swamp. Peter Thompson designed the layout, and at over 7,200 yards with a 137 slope rating, it’s a legitimate test of skill. The Bermuda Tiffway fairways and Tiff Dwarf greens are kept in great shape; they’re known for being fast and having a tricky grain that really comes into play near the water hazards.
You’ll have to account for the seasonal winds, which can turn a relatively simple hole into a struggle for par. Unlike some older courses that lack basic amenities, KGA is well-equipped with refreshment stands and facilities at the right intervals. The clubhouse is a solid place to end the day, offering good food and a reliable spot to relax. It’s a well-run club that focuses more on the quality of the golf than just the “prestige” of the name.
Location: Kundana, Taluk, Hobli, Devanahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562164, India
Prestige Golfshire Club
Prestige Golfshire is located just outside Bangalore, near the international airport, and covers about 275 acres at the base of the Nandi Hills. It’s one of the most high-profile clubs in the area, designed by Bob Hunt to mimic an old-school links course. The design relies on the natural slopes of the ground and a lot of strategic hazards to test your accuracy.
The club is half-resort, half-residential, with rows of mansions built right along the edge of the course. It’s a solid choice if you’re looking for a full-service experience; the clubhouse is huge and has everything from dining to a spa. Because it’s so close to the airport and the hills, it’s a popular spot for people who want to escape the city for a few days without having to travel too far.
Location: 18, Golf Club Rd, Golf Gardens, Tollygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700033, India
Royal Calcutta Golf Club
Founded in 1829, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest club outside the British Isles. It originally started at Dum Dum but eventually settled in south Kolkata. While it was once a massive 36-hole facility, it’s been an 18-hole course for quite a while now.
The layout is a traditional parkland style, full of thick trees and “tanks” (large ponds). On paper, it looks wide and easy to hit, but it’s a deceptive course. You have to be precise with your placement, or you’ll find yourself stuck behind a tree or in the water on every other hole. It doesn’t have the flashy modern look of newer resorts, but there’s a sense of history there that you just can’t manufacture. It remains a staple for anyone serious about golf in India, not just for the challenge, but for the legacy of the place.
Location: Sanand-Bavla Road, Sanand, Nani Devati, Gujarat 382170, India
Glade One Golf Club
Glade One is a 9-hole course sitting between Ahmedabad and Sanand. It was designed by Gary Player’s team, and they did a good job of making each hole feel unique. It’s a versatile layout, it doesn’t punish you if you’re just playing for fun, but there are enough strategic elements to keep it from being boring.
The place functions more like a resort than a standard golf club. The grounds are full of walking trails and wooded areas, with a lake that makes the whole area feel a lot cooler and quieter than the surrounding city. It’s a solid choice if you want to play a quick nine and then actually stick around to relax, rather than just hitting your ball and leaving. It’s less about the “prestige” of the sport and more about the actual environment.
Location: Golf Course Rd, opp. American Express, DLF Phase 5, Sector 42, Gurugram, Haryana 122009, India
DLF Golf & Country Club
DLF is the most high-profile club in Gurgaon, largely because it’s backed by one of the country’s biggest developers. It opened in 1999 with an Arnold Palmer design and made a name for itself by being one of the first courses in India to offer night golf under floodlights.
The big draw now is the Gary Player course that opened in 2015. It’s a par-72 that’s notoriously tough, featuring deep bunkers and some pretty intense rock formations and water hazards. It has hosted the Indian Open, which tells you everything you need to know about the difficulty level. It’s a very manicured, expensive-feeling club, but the facilities are legitimate. If you’re in the Delhi area and want a round that feels like a professional tour stop, this is usually the first recommendation.
Location: Mumbai – Bangalore Highway, Bavdhan, Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India
Oxford Golf Resort
Oxford is the only private 18-hole course in Pune, and it sits on a 136-acre piece of land that’s surprisingly quiet given how close it is to the city. The course is known for being well-maintained and fairly challenging, but it’s accessible for most skill levels.
If you’re looking to improve, there’s an on-site academy with decent instructors. The resort side of the property is made up of all-suite accommodations, which makes it feel more like a vacation spot than just a place to play a round. Because it’s a quick drive from Pune, it’s mostly used as a weekend retreat. It doesn’t rely on the usual corporate “prestige” talk; the draw is just the fact that it’s a high-quality course in a great location.
Location: Bhopal, Sanand – Viramgam Hwy, B/h, Muni Bapu Ashram, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 382110, India
Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club
Kalhaar Blues & Greens is located near Sanand and is widely considered one of India’s top courses. It was designed by Jack Nicklaus’s firm and sits on a massive 500-acre estate. For five years straight, it picked up the “Best Golf Course in India” award, which is a reflection of how well the greens and fairways are maintained compared to other clubs in the region.
The property is basically a gated community with 700 villas built around the course. The design is meant to feel like a retreat, giving residents a view of the grass and the trees rather than the city. It’s close enough to Ahmedabad for a quick commute, but far enough out that it feels private. If you’re looking for a Nicklaus-designed course that actually has the teeth of a championship layout, this is one of the better examples in India.
Location: P.O, Hasanpur, Tauru, Bissau Akbarpur, Haryana 122105, India
Classic Golf & Country Club at ITC Grand Bharat
Classic Golf & Country Club is located at the ITC Grand Bharat in the Aravalli foothills. It’s a significant spot for Indian golf because it was the first 27-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature course built in South Asia. The facility is divided into two main parts: a full 18-hole championship layout (the Ridge and Valley nines) and a shorter 9-hole course called the Canyon.
The club sits on a 300-acre estate, so you have plenty of space between holes. It’s one of the most reliable options near Delhi if you want a course that is maintained to a professional standard. It’s close enough to the city for a day trip, but once you’re out there, the Aravalli hills make it feel much more remote than it actually is. It doesn’t rely on gimmicks; it’s just a solid, well-designed Nicklaus track.
Location: off Bangalore – Mysore Highway, Shyanamangala Cross, Bidadi, Mysore Rd, Bengaluru, Karnataka 562109, India
Eagleton – The Golf Village
Eagleton is one of Bangalore’s most well-known “golf villages,” sitting on a massive piece of land that’s as much a nature reserve as it is a golf course. They’ve planted over 25,000 trees here, and the design was intentionally kept a bit more rugged to protect the local ecosystem. It’s a nice nod to the “Garden City” nickname, and it gives the holes a very secluded, mature feel.
The course itself has some real pedigree, having been featured in the Rolex Top 1000 and hosting several big-name pro tournaments. It’s an 18-hole championship layout that’s known for being a fair but difficult test. The facility is a full resort, so you can stay on-site, but the main reason people come here is the golf. It’s less about the flashy, corporate vibe of newer clubs and more about playing a solid round in a setting that actually feels like the outdoors.
Location: Boulevard Rd, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 190001, India
Royal Springs Golf Course
Royal Springs is probably the most scenic place to play in India. It’s located in Srinagar, right between the Zabarwan Hills and the Dal Lake. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 2001, making it a pretty rare find in the region. It’s a public course, so it’s more accessible than the private clubs in Delhi or Bangalore, even if getting to Srinagar takes a bit more effort.
At 7,000 yards, it’s a long course, but the thin mountain air helps your distance quite a bit. You’ll definitely notice the views more than the difficulty; the fifth hole is the standout, sitting high up with a view that looks straight out over the lake. It isn’t just about the golf, you’re basically playing in a massive garden full of fruit trees and local birds. It’s a much slower, more relaxed pace than the high-pressure corporate courses down south.
Location: G-Block, Surajpur – Kasna Rd, Block B, Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201308, India
Jaypee Greens Golf Course
Jaypee Greens is a massive 430-acre property in Greater Noida, and it’s actually the only Greg Norman-designed course in India. It’s a long course, stretching over 7,300 yards so you’ll definitely be using your driver more than usual. Because it’s built on flat land, Norman used man-made lakes to create the contouring for the fairways, which means water is a factor on almost every hole.
The design is heavy on bunkers, there are about 100 of them, meant to mimic the style of the courses back in Australia. It’s a high-maintenance facility with imported Bermuda grass, so the playing surface is usually excellent. It hosted the European Tour’s Avantha Masters in 2013, so it has legitimate championship pedigree. If you’re coming from Delhi, it’s about an hour’s drive, and it offers a much more expansive, open feel than the tighter, tree-lined clubs in the city center.
Location: Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, Delhi Golf Club, India Gate, New Delhi, Delhi 110003, India
Delhi Golf Club
Delhi Golf Club is one of the most famous courses in Asia, mainly because it feels like you’re playing through an archaeological site. It’s located in central New Delhi and is scattered with 15th-century ruins that predate the Mughals. It’s also a massive bird sanctuary; you’ll see peacocks everywhere, and every hole is named after a local bird.
The main 18-hole track is the Lodhi Course, which is notoriously tight. If you miss the fairway by even a couple of yards, you’re usually in thick, thorny scrub. There’s also a 9-hole course called the Peacock if you want a quicker round. The club has been around since the early 50s and was redesigned by Peter Thomson in the late 70s. It’s the kind of place where history is everywhere, it hosted the first-ever Indian Open and has seen wins from guys like Anirban Lahiri. It’s easily the most prestigious “old-school” club in the city.
Location: JCG7+W4H, Aamby Valley City, Devghar, Maharashtra 412108, India
Aamby Valley Golf Club
Aamby Valley is a British-designed course that sits on a massive 250-acre plot in the hills. It’s a par-72 layout that’s more about accuracy than distance, the fairways roll quite a bit and the bunkers are placed exactly where you don’t want them. It’s a very quiet spot, and it’s common to run into deer or peacocks while you’re walking the holes, which gives it a much more “wild” feel than the city courses in Mumbai or Pune.
One of the coolest things about the place is that the entire 18-hole course is floodlit, which is still a rarity for a full-sized championship track. They also have a proper academy run by PGA-qualified pros if you’re looking to fix your swing. It’s a high-end facility that feels more like a mountain retreat than a standard golf club, especially with the views you get from the higher elevation holes.
Location: P.O, Dist, Fingerpost, Ooty, Tamil Nadu 643006, India
Ooty Gymkhana is about as far from a modern, corporate golf resort as you can get. At 7,000 feet above sea level, it’s one of the highest courses in the country, originally built as a mountain escape for the British in the 1800s. It still has a very old-fashioned, military feel to it. The altitude means the ball flies further, but the unpredictable mountain weather usually balances that out.
The terrain is the main challenge here, it’s extremely hilly and follows the natural slope of the mountainside. Don’t expect perfectly manicured, emerald-green fairways; the maintenance is “traditional,” which is a nice way of saying it’s rugged and raw. It’s more like playing a goat track in some spots, but that’s part of the charm. If you want a round that feels like a 19th-century time capsule with incredible views of the Nilgiris, it’s worth the trip.
Location: Emaar, Boulder Hills Rd, Madhava Reddy Colony, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana 500032, India
Boulder Hills Golf Course
Boulder Hills is one of the most visually striking courses in India, mostly because the fairways are littered with the massive granite rocks Hyderabad is famous for. The project was originally started by Donald Harradine and finished by his son, Peter, who made the smart decision to keep the boulders as hazards rather than removing them.
The design is unique because it follows Vastu Shastra, aiming for a layout that doesn’t fight the natural terrain. The greens are notoriously flat, so you won’t face many crazy breaks once you’re on the putting surface, but getting there is the hard part. It’s situated right in the middle of Hyderabad’s tech hub, and for a course with this much personality, the green fees are actually very reasonable. It’s a great example of how to build a course that feels like it belongs to its specific city.
Above, we have introduced you to the 15 best golf courses in India. Did you play these courses? Don’t hesitate to share your experience by commenting on the box below. Or, remind us if you know other India golf courses that are worth a visit. Thank you so much for your reading!
Read more:
DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurugram won India’s best golf courses at the 2023 World Golf Awards and remains the most consistently cited course in the country by ranking bodies. Oxford Golf Resort in Pune took the 2025 World Golf Awards title. Both are worth playing if you are making a serious golf trip.
October to March is the best window for most of India. The weather is cooler and dry across the north and much of the south. Kashmir’s courses are only open from July to September. The monsoon season (June to September) affects course conditions in most regions.
It depends on the club. Resort courses like Oxford Golf Resort charge around Rs 10,000 per round (roughly $100-120 USD). Some older private clubs charge less if you have a reciprocal arrangement through your home club. Public and municipal courses are much cheaper. Budget roughly $80-150 USD for a round at a top-ranked course, more for peak tee times.
Lightweight, breathable clothing is essential due to India’s warm climate. Proper golf attire is required at most clubs, especially at upscale venues. Sunscreen, a hat, and hydration gear are also highly recommended, particularly if you are playing during warmer months.
Choosing suitable golf shoes not only makes you look more fashionable on the course but…
Five-time PGA Tour winner Roger Maltbie always used to say that if using a tee…
Many people underappreciate the importance of golf gloves. However, as the first point of contact…
Bali is one of the few golf destinations in Asia where the scenery can genuinely…
Inconsistencies with putters are common, but once on the green, choices are limited. The same…
Picking the right GPS golf watch in 2026 is harder than it sounds. The market…
View Comments
Awesome post! The tip about using a financial spreadsheet is so practical. I’ve been using one for a long time, and it’s been a game-changer. I also wrote a guide on how to create your own, which might help your readers. Continue the great work!
Dear Marisol Rotenberg,
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your experience with using a financial spreadsheet! It’s great to hear how effective it has been for you. We’d love to check out your guide, it sounds like a valuable resource for our readers. Feel free to share the link so we can take a look! Your feedback motivates us to keep sharing practical tips. Thanks again, and happy planning!
Best Regards,
GolfLux Team