Delhi Gymkhana club (Delhi)

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The Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club was established on 3rd July 1913 at Coronation Grounds, Delhi for use of the ruling elite comprising of officers of the Indian Civil Service, Armed Forces and Civil Residents of the then Delhi.
The Lutyens Delhi was conceived during 1912-1930 and consequently, "The Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club", was allotted 27.3 acres of land in Lutyens Delhi, during 1928 when the perpetual lease was signed with the Govt.

Mr. Spencer Harcourt Butler was its first President. When India gained Independence in 1947, the word "Imperial" was dropped and it was simply known as "Delhi Gymkhana Club". Sir Usha Nath was the first Indian President of the Club. The Club has so far had 53 Presidents. The present incumbent is Lt Gen I J Singh, AVSM, VSM(Retd). The club is located in the heart of Lutyen's New Delhi occupying 27.3 acres of prime land. As per site plan made on the drawing board by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens as part of his grand design for Imperial Celebrations, Lutyens Delhi - the eighth in line - was built in an area littered with stones, tombs, domes, ruined walls and gardens of former Capitals - the historic cross roads and battle grounds of India.

The club is primarily a sporting club and has the distinction of having 26 grass courts and 7 clay/synthetic courts with three of them flood lit. The grass courts have been in existence since 1940. The club has an active tennis membership of over 200 and also runs an active training academy for juniors. Despite increasing preference for synthetic courts, the Club maintains its grass courts and can boast of the largest number of grass courts in the country which, if not better are as good as the Wimbledon Grass Courts The Club has the proud privilege of holding several National & International championships including the Grand Prix Tennis Tournament and the Davis Cup matches. Some of the world's & India's top Tennis and Squash Players have played here.
The clay /synthetic courts are the main stay during the rainy season when grass courts are closed. They perfectly align in the North-South axis and are surrounded by thick bushy trees so that the screens are not visible. The lush plants surrounding these courts are interspersed with perennial flowering bushes which lends a pleasant ambience.

An interesting feature of the club is its location in the middle of an elite residential area. As a result, the Club has tennis almost through out the day. The busy professionals like to play early in the morning combined with breakfast in the club, followed by their spouses later in the evening.

The Club also has 3 squash courts, a covered swimming pool functional through out the year and a library probably larger than any other club in India with approximately thirty five thousand books with reading rooms for adults and children a dining hall with three bars, a restaurant and 43 transit cottages for its members who come and stay here from all over the world .

delhigymkhana.org.in/index.php