It has been 361 days since the inaugural DP World India Championship, and just three days remain before the tournament returns to Delhi Golf Club on Thursday. Rory McIlroy will be among the star attractions, while Tommy Fleetwood will look to defend his title. Those names alone might be enough to draw viewers in, but the golf course itself offers plenty of reasons to tune in. 

The golf club gives you a journey through century-old tombs

One of the club’s most unusual features is its collection of historic monuments scattered across the playing grounds. Historian Rana Safvi’s Scroll article describes how the course was developed around existing structures on land formerly known as Babarpur, associated with the Mughal era.

• Lal Bangla: A pair of red-sandstone mausoleums associated with Mughal royal family members. One was built in 1779 by Mughal emperor Shah Alam II for his mother, Lal Kunwar.
• Barakhamba: A historic tomb dating to the Lodi period, near the 17th hole. Its name refers to its original 12 pillars, although Safvi observed that only 10 remained.
• Tomb of Saiyyed Abid: Also known as Shaheed ki Dargah, it was reportedly built for Saiyyed Abid Khan after he died in battle, probably in 1626.
• A forgotten mosque: The grounds also contain remnants believed to belong to a mosque, with historical accounts describing its courtyard and prayer niches.

No tomb is safe from golf balls

According to Golf Monthly, during the 1968 Indian Open, golfer Stan Peach hit a shot that struck the dome of the Barakhamba tomb. The ball then rolled back onto the green, leaving him with a birdie putt from just six inches away. Instead of a conventional course obstacle, a centuries-old monument effectively became an accidental part of the shot.

Second World War nearly closed the course

According to the Global Golfer review, golf became popular in the area during the Second World War, when Allied soldiers stationed in northern India needed recreational facilities. The club even developed its shorter Peacock Course during this period.

However, once the soldiers left, membership reportedly plunged to just 80 by 1948. The club then faced the threat of closure as the local government considered developing its greenbelt land for facilities needed by a rapidly expanding Delhi.

It managed to attract new members and raise funds to survive. The club subsequently became a corporate entity in 1950 and started thriving. And the credit for its survival goes to the founding member and politician Dharma Vira, who secured a low-rent government land lease for its revival.

It takes 50 years to join the club

Delhi Golf Club is renowned for its exclusivity. This is reflected in what Golf Monthly reported in October 2025. The report claimed that the club had approximately 4,000 members, largely drawn from the Indian Civil Services, the judiciary and political circles. But even more interestingly, the report claimed that the membership waiting list was over 50 years. 

Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson fought to change the course

What makes a good golf course? This very topic has caused a history of redesigns and disagreements at the Delhi Golf Course. In the 1950s, the greens were raised. Australian legend Peter Thomson, a five-time Open Championship winner, reportedly disliked the change and described the raised greens as “eyesores.”

Thomson eventually redesigned the Lodhi Course in 1976, restoring the flatter greens. The layout received another makeover in 2019 by Gary Player Design, and the size of the greens was increased.

There are more than 300 bird species on the course

The course is home to more than 300 bird species. Its birdlife even influences the course’s identity: holes are named after birds, including the streaked fantail warbler and the blue-cheeked bee-eater.

The club has hosted several landmark tournaments

Delhi Golf Club has played a major role in India’s professional golf history. It played host to the inaugural Indian Open in 1964. It was also the venue for the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters, described as the first DP World Tour event held in India.

Other than that, multiple editions of the Indian Open and the Asian Tour’s DGC Open have also unfolded there. And, of course, the inaugural DP World India Championship was held there last year, which offered a $4 million prize fund.

Clearly, there’s plenty to look forward to at this year’s DP World India Championship. While a star-studded field is set to take on the course, its rich history and unique features offer golf fans around the world another compelling reason to tune in.