Everything There Is to Know About Calcutta Golf

Source: The Royal Calcutta Golf Club

Gambling makes everything more thrilling and exciting!

With that said, gambling is also present in golf, known as Calcutta golf. It also goes by “Calcutta sweepstakes,” “Calcutta auction,” and “Calcutta tournament.”

It’s NOT your average gambling, BUT it’s something to watch out for!

A Background on Golf Calcutta

The OLDEST golf course outside the British Isles is the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, established in 1829 in the city of “Kolkata.”

It has also been believed that the Royal Calcutta Golf Club stretches back to when King George V and Queen Mary visited Calcutta and conferred the title Royal to the club in 1911.

It is BEST KNOWN FOR its notable features, such as the course being on strategically located water tanks and natural water hazards and the tall trees that guard the greens.

What Is a Calcutta Golf Tournament

Source: Premier Golf League

Calcutta is an auction pool wagering system that can also be applied to golf and other sporting events. You can say it is similar to golf gambling. For now, we’ll focus more on golfers and golf Calcutta.

Here’s a quick overview of the auction-style of golf in Calcutta:

The tournament organizers pick out one or several golf clubs. Teams then flock to the place before the event. Next, golfers bid; they can bid on themselves or other teams.

Once all bids have been placed, the game commences, and the winning bids get their “own team.” The money raised during the Calcutta auction then goes into the pot.

The total pot is then counted, and the organizers then prepare your predetermined payout.

What Goes on Inside the Calcutta Golf Tournament

Now that you’ve read the brief overview, we can go DEEP into what happens inside Calcutta tournaments.

The Calcutta event has 4 stages for a smooth auction: the auction pool, the golf tournaments, the buybacks, and the total payout.

Calcutta Golf Auction Pool

Source: Calcutta Auction

Before the actual event, you have to place your bets already. The auction typically happens the night before the event.

You should note another thing; this auction is CASH basis only. So if you wish to participate, you have to make sure that you have pocket money.

Moving on to the bidding process, think of buying stocks online or investing in crypto. You don’t only put your money into one stock, and you also don’t only buy one cryptocurrency.

The SMARTEST thing to do, especially when raising money, is properly dispersed and invest your money.

You should apply this when bidding on teams for the Calcutta auction, especially if you want a chance to win the auction.

The Auction Itself

You are free to bid on as many teams as you’d like before the tournament starts.

The play commences once all teams have their auctions in. Usually, the first, second, and third place is considered the ONLY winning team of the tournament.

The tournament golf director then determines the sum of the pot or the prize money given to the winning bidder and the winning team.

It is also important to note that some golf tournaments also use software programs to apply odds to each team.

The rules of the tournament VARY on the Calcutta tournament organizers, but this is usually how golf Calcutta works and how the auction sweepstake is carried out.

The Calcutta Golf Tournament

Source: Annual Golf Tournament

It is the thrilling and quite exciting part that some member-guest tournaments anticipate!

The tournament, as described, is straightforward. So, just how simple is it?

The event usually lasts around 1-4 days. The MOST common golf tournament held is a 4 person team alongside other teams, but it can also be a team of 2 golfers.

The number of players on the team depends on how many teams there are during the Calcutta tournament.

Golfers will battle it out on an 18-hole stroke play tournament.

For those who aren’t aware, an 18-hole stroke play tournament, as the name suggests, is an 18-hole cumulative score competition.

The golfers playing are going up against the course as they outplay their competitors. To add to this, the golfers who play the best holes win (also known as the low handicappers).

Buybacks

Source: Golf Gambling

Low handicappers love that there are buybacks in Calcutta tournaments.

Those of you who aren’t aware of low handicappers are scoreless golfers in the game of golf. And the less you score, the higher your chances of winning a game.

So if you know any low handicapper golfer, they are VERY good at golf.

Meaning to say that they are confident enough to pay a (hopefully successful) bidder half of what the bidder paid to get 50-50 of the prize money at the end of the tournaments.

The other team members are generally offered the right to purchase a bid percentage before the tournaments begin.

These are solely for their best interests, not the whole playing team.

Sum Total Payout

Source: Calcutta Auction

We have the total payout for the last Calcutta in the golf event.

The payout process depends on who is what the golf tournament is for.

Calcutta golf can be organized for fundraising purposes such as charity, while it can also be organized for money and such gambling.

Only part of the pot money will go to charity if the Calcutta tournament is for charity.

If it is solely for gambling, then considerable sums of money will go into the pockets of the person and team with the highest bid.

The prize money for the first-place team is 70%, the second finisher gets 20%, while the third playing team gets 10%.

How a Calcutta Auction Is Ran

Setting up a golf Calcutta tournament is more complicated, but overall it’s a manageable event.

Securing a Club

First, the organizers secure a club where the event can occur. It is because some golf clubs don’t allow a Calcutta golf auction.

Once the place is secured, the Calcutta in golf can now occur!

Gathering the Golf Players

The organizers will then gather golf players to be included in a team. The teams formed are usually at random. They will also be on the lookout for people who can make a bid.

Each golfer will have a golf ball in their pocket with a number so that when the number is called, the golfer will then approach the team they were assigned to.

The event organizers will then continue to determine the tournament’s format. They’ll decide what kind of golf game will be played by each team.

And as mentioned earlier, it’ll most likely be an 18-hole stroke play.

Afterward, to make the Calcutta in golf event possible, the organizers will have to spread the word out to the playing golfers.

Running the Auction

Before the game, the organizers need to run the auction so that the participants and the member guests of the tournament can pick out their own team and place their bids.

Afterward, each team will have to play the course during the events.

Once each team has completed the games, the head of the Calcutta in golf event will gather the earnings and distribute them to the highest bidder, and the team or teams considered the tournament winner.

Here’s the More Straightforward Process:

• Finding a club for the auction.
• Scouting participants and members who are willing to gamble.
• The tournament’s format is then chosen (usually an 18-hole play).
• Each golfer will be playing the tournament alongside their team.

The tournament’s winner is announced, and the pot money is distributed to the highest bidder and the teams that finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

The process depends on the organizers since sometimes they only consider the 1st and 2nd teams.

What About My Amateur Status?

Calcutta golf tournaments DO involve considerable sums, so for an amateur golfer, this is considered contrary to the purpose of the rules.

The rule is wherein a golf player can no longer be considered an amateur golfer and can be stripped from their amateur status title.

In line with this, they can no longer participate in amateur events once they participate in unacceptable gambling or accept money from the auction or any event.

And by definition, an amateur golfer is someone who PLAYS FOR THE CHALLENGE of it.

Meaning says that once they win and accept the money from the auction, they will no longer be eligible to hold their amateur status.

Some may even choose to see no harm in any of it and consider it a friendly wager, but the rules and the governing members of golf discourage amateur golfers from taking part in Calcutta auctions.

Calcutta as Charity Fundraisers Calcutta Auctions

The good thing about Calcutta events is that they have a PURPOSE.

Calcutta golf also hosts tournaments to raise money to help charity. It means that the money made from every win goes straight to those in need.

The multiple teams who won and the highest bidder of each team have the chance to pick out the charity of their choice!

Although, the organizing committee still sets a few guidelines and rules that you need to follow if you plan on donating your winnings to charity.

Are Calcutta Auctions for You?

We will provide you with two situations that can be detrimental to you or beneficial.

As Amateur Golfers

IF you join the Calcutta sweepstakes, you risk being removed from the amateur golfers’ status.

It is SET and written on paper that it is ILLEGAL for amateur golfers to play for prize money. You MUST forfeit your status based on the United States Golf Association (USGA).

The United States Golf Association (USGA) is very strict with this policy.

Once you are caught doing such activities, you can be denied access to championships and memberships.  

As Bidders

IF you believe that you have a keen eye to determine the right team, then by all means, you should go ahead and try to bid on the teams you deem worthy!

If you win and you end up feeling generous, then Calcutta tournaments are also a great way to raise cash for charity!

During the process, you’ll be able to enjoy and possibly live out the experience if you are a golfer yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Calcutta golf.

Are Calcutta Auctions Legal?

This question is the MOST COMMON question that gets asked.

Yes and No!

A Calcutta auction can be legal in another state, while in other areas, it is illegal.

So if you are organizing a Calcutta golf tournament, you have to ensure that it is legal in the chosen area. Otherwise, it’ll just be chaos and one problem after another.

Why Is It Called Calcutta Golf?

The first-ever Calcutta tournament style was held in “Kolkata,” which is home to one of the oldest golf courses!

The grounds were best known for their notable features, such as the course being on strategically located water tanks and natural water hazards and the tall trees that guard the greens.

As the style spread worldwide, the name stuck with it and is now known as one of the biggest auction sweepstakes in the course of golf!

How Are the Teams Selected?

There are a variety of ways to play this one out.

You have the option to pick your teammates or be randomly assigned to a team.

There are even instances wherein the organizers give you a ball, and when it is drawn, you get are part of either Team A or Team B, depending on how many teams there are!

Final Thoughts

The Calcutta golf tournament looks like a fair and decent gambling place to try out!

If you want to give Calcutta in golf a try and if you have the time and the dollar bills to do so, then it’ll for sure be a fun and educational experience to venture on.

You might even end up winning, which makes it more thrilling! You can even wound up at the country club grill room and try some of their best meals.

Although, this situation can’t be said to all. If you have amateur status and wish to keep it that way, then STEER CLEAR from Calcutta golf.

You’ll end up losing your title and the privileges, such as the membership and tournaments that come with it, if you try out Calcutta golf.

Overall, Calcutta is not entirely all that bad! We hope you learned a thing or two about Calcutta, and we hope good fortune befalls you! Enjoy the thrills of the Calcutta tournament!