
In simplest terms, a golf Calcutta works like this:
- Golfers bid, auction-style, on the golfer or team they think will win the tournament. Usually you can bid on yourself...
- The highest bid will win the team/golfer.
- Funds raised through the “auction” goes into the pool.
- The owners of the tournament winner (s) receive a predetermined payout from the auction pool.
Full Answer
How do I run a Calcutta Golf Tournament?
Running a Calcutta golf tournament is a fairly straightforward process. Select the participants in the tournament. Golfers, golf course, and auction participants. Determine the tournament format. A Calcutta is typically an 18-hole, stroke-play tournament. Prepare the auction event by making information available on all of the participating teams.
What happens if my team wins the Calcutta tournament?
For example, your team is "won" in the auction by Team X; if this rule is in effect, you can pay half of Team X's winning bid back to Team X in order to buy back half a stake in your own team. If your team then wins the tournament, your team and Team X split the Calcutta payout.
What is a Calcutta auction in golf?
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. The term "Calcutta" (also called a "golf Calcutta," "Calcutta auction" or "Calcutta sweepstakes") describes a type of auction-pool wagering that can be applied to golf and many other sporting events.
How much do calcutta pool winners get paid?
Perhaps the simplest and most common Calcutta payout is 70 percent of the pool to the "owner" of the winning tournament team, 30 percent to the "owner" of the second-place tournament team. When paying out the first three places, the most common payouts are 70-percent to the winner, 20-percent to the runner-up, 10-percent to third place.

How does a golf tournament Calcutta work?
A Calcutta is an auction pool conducted by an organization authorized by the department. Competitors in an event are “sold” to the highest bidder and the winner(s) of the pool of money is determined by the results of the event.
How does a Calcutta pay out?
Perhaps the simplest and most common Calcutta payout is 70 percent of the pool to the "owner" of the winning tournament team, 30 percent to the "owner" of the second-place tournament team.
How do you win a Calcutta?
Each golfer participating in a Calcutta is both a player and an owner, but before anyone can tee off, all golfers must first “buy” another player through an auction. Golfers bid on who they feel will win the event, generally beginning with the lowest handicap player and ending with the highest handicap player.
How do you play a Calcutta?
In simplest terms, a golf Calcutta works like this:Golfers bid, auction style, on the golfer or team they think will win the tournament (typically you're allowed to bid on yourself or your own team, too).Enter your bid on the golfer or team you think will win, and if your bid is the highest, you bought them.More items...•
Is a golf Calcutta legal?
Yes, a Calcutta is legal and the betting style goes beyond just golf into other sporting events. This format is also done in other sports like bowling, horse racing, NCAA basketball, and billiards as well.
How do you run a Calcutta golf tournament?
Running a Calcutta golf tournament is a fairly straightforward process.Select the participants in the tournament. ... Determine the tournament format. ... Prepare the auction event by making information available on all of the participating teams.Run the auction process to allow guests to purchase a participating team.More items...
Why is it called a Calcutta?
The city's former name, Calcutta, is an Anglicized version of the Bengali name Kalikata. According to some, Kalikata is derived from the Bengali word Kalikshetra, meaning “Ground of (the goddess) Kali.” Some say the city's name derives from the location of its original settlement on the bank of a canal (khal).
What is a Calcutta Sweep?
What is a calcutta? A calcutta is the same as a sweep except at the completion of the draw there is a an auction in which all ticket purchasers can bid for each participant.
How does a Masters Calcutta work?
A golf Calcutta is an auction-style event that utilizes a pot and pays out a few winners. Each golfer or team is put up for “auction” and you bid on players. The highest bid gets that player, and if that golfer were to go on to win The Masters they would get the highest payout of the pot.
What is a $2 Nassau?
A two-dollar Nassau is $2 to the winner of the front 9, $2 to the winner of the back 9, and $2 to the winner of the overall match. If someone asks on the first tee, "Who wants to go five, five, and five?", a five-dollar Nassau has just been offered.
Why is it called a Calcutta auction?
The Calcutta auction originated in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, where British colonists used the format to wager on cricket.
What is a meaning of Calcutta?
British Dictionary definitions for Calcutta Calcutta. / (kælˈkʌtə) / noun. the former official name (still widely used) of Kolkata.
How does a fishing Calcutta work?
Regarding the Calcutta - the calcutta is the side pot with which the “big money” is won in these tournaments. It should be discussed amongst the crew, all contributing members, and the owner, BEFORE THE BOAT LEAVES THE DOCK, how winnings are to be distributed, if they are to be distributed.
How does a Masters Calcutta work?
If you're unfamiliar, Masters Calcutta pools involve gamblers bidding on all golfers in the field individually. There are various payouts depending how well your players perform, with the bettor who owns the winner getting the majority of the payout (more on this later).
What is a Calcutta Sweep?
What is a calcutta? A calcutta is the same as a sweep except at the completion of the draw there is a an auction in which all ticket purchasers can bid for each participant.
Why is it called a Calcutta auction?
The Calcutta auction originated in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, where British colonists used the format to wager on cricket.
Why You Should Try it?
Calcutta in golf has nothing to do with your golfing ability and rates high on the betting scale.
Why You Should Not Participate?
Amateur players are not allowed to compete for prizemoney under the rules of the USGA, but they are allowed to partake in gambling .
How to run a golf tournament?
How to Run A Golf Calcutta? 1 Select the participants in the tournament. Golfers, golf course, and auction participants. 2 Determine the tournament format. A Calcutta is typically an 18-hole, stroke-play tournament. 3 Prepare the auction event by making information available on all of the participating teams. 4 Run the auction process to allow guests to purchase a participating team. 5 Enable golfers to compete for the duration of the tournament. 6 Upon completion of the tournament, winnings must be paid out to winning owners.
How many holes are there in a Calcutta golf tournament?
A Calcutta is typically an 18-hole, stroke-play tournament. Prepare the auction event by making information available on all of the participating teams. Run the auction process to allow guests to purchase a participating team. Enable golfers to compete for the duration of the tournament.
What is a Calcutta?
In simple terms, a Calcutta is an auction-pool wagering system in golf that goes by a variety of names such as ‘Golf Calcutta’, ‘Calcutta auction’, or ‘Calcutta sweepstakes’. It is used at some tournaments, and not just in golf. In golf, a Calcutta is most common at a tournament featuring 4-person teams, however, ...
How to maximize your payout?
A good strategy to maximize your payout is to pay less for a team that is not likely to win if the payout goes to multiple teams but a bad strategy when only one team is getting paid out .
What is the purpose of auctions in Calcutta?
Calcutta auctions are not just used for self-interest betting. They are frequently used at tournaments to raise funds for charities.
Calcutta Golf Tournament
A Calcutta golf tournament is simply a tournament in which the Calcutta golf betting rules have been applied. This means that the teams in the tournament have all been “purchased” through an auction system.
How To Run A Golf Calcutta
Though running a Calcutta golf tournament may seem difficult it is actually a fairly simple process.
How Does A Golf Calcutta Payout Work
The payouts of Calcutta golf is actually a fairly simple process. There is no one single way of calculating a payout for Caclutta golf though there are a few common ways of doing it.
Calcutta Golf Betting Strategy
Calcutta golf betting is often one of the highest stake betting formats you will see around your home course. So it makes sense to do some research before you put your money on the line.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our guide to Calcutta golf. If you have any questions regarding this process or any of the information in it be sure to reach out in the comments below.
What is a Calcutta auction
Calcutta is a commonly used term in the world of golf tournaments for what would be better described as raffle or lottery. A Calcutta is an event at which players have the opportunity to win prizes by virtue of their bids.
How does a Calcutta auction work
When it comes to running a successful Calcutta event, keep in mind that you want to create a bidding atmosphere. The same kind of competitive excitement that prevails when people bid at public auction or on items through eBay can be replicated in your Calcutta event.
Other fundraising methods
There are lots of other ways to raise funds for your event, and Calcutta type auctions are just one suggestion.
FAQS
A Calcutta is a betting competition in golf. The prize is awarded to the golfer who has the lowest score or longest putt.
Conclusion
A Calcutta Auction is great for raising funds for special events the club may hold. Conducting a golf Calcutta means you must make sure that all members know about it and if appropriate they should pay an entry fee. The fees collected from these individuals are used as prizes for the winners once the auction has finished.
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Kolkata - Wikipedia
Kolkata (/ k ɒ l ˈ k ɑː t ə / or / k ɒ l ˈ k ʌ t ə /, Bengali: [ˈkolˌkata] (), also rendered Calcutta / k æ l ˈ k ʌ t ə /, the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh.It is the prime business, commercial, and financial hub ...
What Is Calcutta In Golf?
A Calcutta in golf, also referred to as a "Calcutta sweepstakes" or a "Calcutta auction," is a form of tournament betting. The rules of each tournament can vary, but these are the standards. As a bidder you pick the player of the team you believe will end up winning the tournament, if your bid is the highest you have bought them successfully ...
The USGA discourages golfers from participating in this ..
The auction. Each golfer participating in a Calcutta is both a player and an owner, but before anyone can tee off, all golfers must first “buy” another player through an auction.
Calcutta Auction - TournaKit Pro Charity Golf Tournament ..
What is a calcutta auction in golf? "The term "Calcutta" describes a type of auction-pool wagering that can be applied to golf and many other sporting events. In golf, a Calcutta is most common at a tournament featuring 4-person teams, but a Calcutta can be held in conjunction with any type of golf tournament. More ›

What Is A Calcutta Auction
- Calcutta is a commonly used term in the world of golf tournaments for what would be better described as raffle or lottery. A Calcutta is an event at which players have the opportunity to win prizes by virtue of their bids. The benefit of a Calcutta is that players are motivated to bid because they want the prizes, and not just because someone else at the table next to them has bid more …
How Does A Calcutta Auction Work
- When it comes to running a successful Calcutta event, keep in mind that you want to create a bidding atmosphere. The same kind of competitive excitement that prevails when people bid at public auction or on items through eBay can be replicated in your Calcutta event. A good way to get bids out of players is to give them an incentive. Be creative – maybe offer dinner for two, gif…
Other Fundraising Methods
- There are lots of other ways to raise funds for your event, and Calcutta type auctions are just one suggestion. If you want a little more structure to your event, and perhaps don’t want it to run anywhere near as long as typical Calcutta events, you could always consider running a hole-in-one contest where you offer prizes on the actual holes being played. Calcutta auctions are an entert…
FAQs
- What are the rules of a calcutta in golf?
A Calcutta is a betting competition in golf. The prize is awarded to the golfer who has the lowest score or longest putt. - What is the history of a calcutta?
The term Calcutta comes from golf’s British origins. It was first used in 1884 by William Makepeace Thackeray, who wrote about a horse race and betting on the Calcutta course during his visit to India—the word “Calcutta” referred to the course and not the city. The Calcutta Cup, a…
Conclusion
- A Calcutta Auction is great for raising funds for special events the club may hold. Conducting a golf Calcutta means you must make sure that all members know about it and if appropriate they should pay an entry fee. The fees collected from these individuals are used as prizes for the winners once the auction has finished. : Golf pitching tips for Beginners Update 06/2022