Golf is one of the oldest and widely played games in India. Indian Golf has earned a lot of recognition and reputation all over world since its inception. The history of Golf dates back to several centuries ago. Though the exact timing of the inception of Golf is known, it is thought that Golf was conceived around 600 years ago. There is evidence that the Romans used to play a game by striking a feather-stuffed ball with club-shaped branches that resembles golf, during the reign of Julius Caesar. However, the history of Golf in India is not that much old. The Indians started playing the game during the first half of the nineteenth century. The first ever Golf Club of India, named the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) was established in the year 1829 and heralded the journey of Golf in India.

India has the distinction of being the first country outside Great Britain to start playing Golf. The RCGC is also considered to be the first ever Golf Club outside Great Britain. After the formation of RCGC, a large number of other Golf Clubs started to be established in India during the nineteenth century. As, India was under British rule at that time, most of the Golf Clubs in India were being run and managed by the British people. Some of the most ancient Golf clubs in India include the Royal Bombay Golf Club, the Bangalore Golf Club, the Shillong Golf Club, etc.

Since the middle half of the twentieth century, the Indian Golf was not being managed in an organised way. Most of the Indian Golf clubs were affiliated to the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) at that time. However, during the 1950s, a group of eminent professional Indian Golfers started taking initiatives for a better management of Indian Golf. They felt the need of having a national governing body for Golf in India that would look after all kinds of Golf related activities in India. With a view to serve this purpose, they collectively established the Indian Golf Union (IGU), as the apex body of Golf in India. The IGU started working for the well being of Indian Golf and soon after its formation, a number of state Golf associations also started to come into being in different parts of India.

The Indian Golf is currently being managed by the Indian Golf Union and the state Golf associations. They are taking a lot of initiatives to improve the status of Golf in India and also to bring up new talented Golfers from every part of the country. Apart from the IGU and the state Golf associations, the Indian Golf clubs have also played an important role in the development of Golf in India. They have also taken a lot of initiatives to spread the game all over the country. In fact, they are in charge of managing and maintaining the Indian Golf courses situated in different parts of the country.

The Indian Golf clubs are also playing an important role in teaching the younger generation of Indian Golf about the rules of Golf and terms of Golf. The management of Indian Golf mainly follows the St. Andrews rules of Golf in all its activities. The Indian Golf managing bodies are in charge of organising various tournaments, both at the senior level and junior level in India. The Golf tournaments in India are an integral part of Indian Golf, as they provide the Indian golfers with an opportunity to play with the best of the world. They can also get the feel of competitive environment, while taking part in these tournaments. Some of the most notable Golf tournaments in India include the Hero Honda Indian Open, the Aamby Valley Asian Masters, the Indian Masters, the SAIL Open, the Jaypee Open Amateur, etc. All these tournaments are recognised by the Asian PGA Tour and are include in the Asia Order of Merits.

India has a huge variety of Golf courses spread all over the country. The geographical diversity of India has been nicely reflected in the nature of Indian Golf courses. One can find different kinds of Golf courses in India that are situated in a high altitude or in plain lands. The Indian Golf courses are located in almost all the major cities in the country like Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangaluru, Kashmir, Shimla, etc. India has so far produced a large number of talented Golf players, who have earned recognition and reputation in the international arena. The Indian Golf players have performed exceptionally well in various international events and have also won titles in many occasions. The Golfers like Ali Sher, Jeev Milkha Singh, Gaurav Ghei, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, etc are some of the most notable ones among all the Indian Golf players. The Government of Indian has also honoured the Golfers by presenting the prestigious Arjuna Award, from time to time. Almost all the prominent Indian Golf players have been the Arjuna Awardees in Golf, and they are considered as the greatest sportspersons of the country, as well.