The Belur Club was started by British planters and managers from the Somwarpet and Madapur areas of Coorg in 1904. Its main attraction was the 9 hole Golf course, laid around the undulating hills overlooking Somwarpet town. Having initially started with greens, the course was later turned to browns as they were easier to maintain. The planters from M/S Mangle Brothers, Mr. Nicholes of Jamboor Plantations, Mr. Wood of Beligiri Estates, Mr. Newcome, all led by Mr. Gordon . R. Pearse of the Coovercooly Estate is credited with the founding of the Club.

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 In the early years, the Club itself was a very simple affair. There was a large hall that had a billiards table (and ample elbow room one might add). There was no lounge; a narrow verandah serving as a place to sit around, served that purpose. And all the important bar (perhaps much to the chagrin of safety-conscious architect), was next to a small fireplace. 

 

 A joining fee of Rs.50/- considered quite stiff by the younger members was a must for those wanting to meet with their fellow men on an off day. Monday being the Somwarpet market day and the Belur ‘Club’ day. It was the day when the plantation labour, having drawn their wages on Sunday went into town for their weekly supplies. Senior members would arrive in their tongas, followed later by Model ‘T’s while the younger members would ride ahead with food for their masters. For the dozen members, a typical day would begin with golf in the morning, bridge or billiards in the afternoon and in better weather tennis after tea. 

 

  A round of golf usually began at 11:00 am for the first set of holes before breaking for lunch. The caddies came from the Coovercooly Estate, and the children there would compete with each other with much gusto, it is said, to be selected to go to the Club. Members bought their own lunch, while the club supplemented this with a refreshing cup of rich tea. 

 

 The course was on for the most beautiful golf courses of those times. It was admired for its grassy knolls, rolling plains and undulating meadows, all of which served as natural hazards. The sheer natural beauty of the course is breathtaking, and many a golfer has simply stood silent, during the middle of his round, simply to take in the beauty around him.Membership to the Club, being confined to the English planters, the natives, however rich or educated, were considered socially unequal, and Indian planters who came for a picnic around the course were severely warned off. Interestingly the first Indian to play on this course was none other than Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, with a handicap of 10, in 1924, almost 18 years after the first championship finals were held at the Club course. 

 

 The two world wars though changed the trend gradually. The first great war drained away a significant number of senior Englishmen for the call of duty. The second world war virtually stripped the club bare of Englishmen. The British realized that their ‘reserve’ and their good old days were coming to a rapid end. 

 

 In 1947, with the coming of Independence, most of the European plantations were consolidated to form public limited companies. Several of the non corporatized plantations were sold to other European businesses with whom the British had a long relationship. There were, however, a small number of plantations that were sold to Indians, as a token of gratitude for their hard work and faithfulness. The Belur Club subsequently came under the control of Indians. It was not until the exodus of the European planters that the club saw its first Indian members. The baton of the first Indian captain was passed on to D. Siddanna, an established planter in the region, who is credited with bringing about several improvements to the Clubhouse, which was till then a very simple affair consisting of a large hall and verandah. Continuing in this tradition D. Kumar Siddanna, his son, who was presiding over the Club as its President in its Centenary Year, 2004, also initiated many improvements to the club. In the following decade, the Belur Club added a sprawling Gazebo type Dining hall and 4 best in class guest rooms to further enhance the establishment.