The Cochin Golf Club, established in 1922 is located at the historically significant Bolghatty Palace grounds.
The splendid Bolghatty Palace was built on the Bolghatty Island in 1744 AD by the Dutch. It is one among the oldest existing palaces built by the Dutch in India. In 1909 the palace and the grounds were leased to the British by the Cochin state. Upon the British moving into the palace in 1909 they converted it to be used as the seat of the British Resident in erstwhile Cochin and the place became out-of-bounds to the commoners. The Resident used to stay at Bolghatty for two or three months in a year. He used to be ferried in his private boat Valerie from Ernakulam. At Bolghatty the resident used to meet the Diwan and various officers
A nine hole golf course was laid around this palace for personal use by the then British Resident Charles William Egerton Cotton, the powerful political agent of Madras State. As the years rolled by senior officers and executives working in the British disposition and for British companies were also permitted to use the course. European officials stationed at the various business houses in Cochin and Alleppey, planters from Munnar and Peerumedu also played at the course.
The Golf Club came into existence in 1922. The Club House was inaugurated on the 2nd of January 1923 by H H Jones Esq, the then President of the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The club house was designed as a three roomed building resembling an estate bungalow with tin f and wooden walls. The Club House stands to this date in the same location in more or less the same shape and design from its early days - in spite of the several rounds of maintenance and slight renovations done on it.
This is one among the earliest golf courses in the world outside of Britain.