Muirfield

Muirfield is the golfing grounds for the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest golf club in the world, and the source of the original 13 rules of golf. The club has written records going back as far as 1744, with its first golf played at the Leith Links for nearly a century before a move to Musselburgh Old in 1836, followed by an additional move out to Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian. The course opened in 1891, with design guidance from Old Tom Morris; was revamped by Harry Colt in 1925, working with some additional land purchases by the club; and further developed by Tom Simpson in the subsequent decade. In this century, Martin Hawtree is credited with refinements. Muirfield occupies an unassuming and discrete location with an oft-photographed gate at the end of a lane off the main road in Gullane

While overcrowding and space may have been considerations for the Honourable Company’s move toward Gullane, the turf must have been part of the appeal as well. Muirfield is not a dramatic coastline site, but it is pure linksland — bouncy, fast, and firm, with the Firth of Forth off in the distance. The turf goes hand-in-hand with the design, making bunkers that look small play much larger and menacing, boundaries more prominent, subtle humps more effective, pin choices more significant, and distance control more fun and consequential. The course is always some degree of firm and fast, letting the architecture resonate from green back to the tee. As on many great links courses, the land does not feature dramatic elevation changes but is full of humps, subtle climbs, ridges, and undulations (though one of its most notable holes, the 13th, a Simpson creation, is an uphill par 3 with a fair degree of raised visual drama). 

Blessed with this turf, Colt set out in 1923 to overhaul the original work of Old Tom and created one of the most influential routings in golf. The front nine runs clockwise on the outside of the property (or course, as the club now owns tracts of undeveloped land adjacent to the course), while the back nine runs counterclockwise on the interior of the property. It is not your traditional out-and-in links, but a front nine that returns to the clubhouse before navigating and winding throughout the interior land. Muirfield has no “bad” holes. As the course subtly changes directions to use the different features of the land, the routing ensures the player will face continuously different winds helping, hurting, and cross, which are obviously often present in a critical degree at the seaside site. The prevailing wind is westerly. 

Muirfield has a significant amount of thick fescue rough for a links course and it frequently comes into play for the wilder player. Its thickness is naturally amplified or moderated by how rainy a season it may be. The rough is a deliberate decision that provides an added challenge and some debate. Even for a links course, its trademark and abundant bunkers can be supremely penal and true hazards. The most famous bunker is the doughnut bunker right of the 18th green with the clubhouse peering at it. 

In addition to its natural elements, the course also boasts history and pedigree. There is the design lineage of Old Tom, the major overhaul of Colt, and the enhancements by Simpson. From the legendary lunch to the preferred foursomes format, the club contains as much tradition as anywhere and sometimes may be referred to as too traditional. And then there’s the competitive history. The move out to Muirfield in 1891 also brought the Open Championship from Musselburgh, the first Open coming right away in 1892. Only Prestwick and The Old Course have hosted more Opens, and its roll of winners — which includes Nicklaus, Player, Watson, Trevino, Faldo, Els, Hagen, Vardon, Braid, and Mickelson — is often referred to as the strongest list of champions among host venues. Its status as an Open host has been put on hold in recent years, initially because of a lack of women members. After some controversy and too much wrangling, the Honourable Company did vote in 2017 to admit and include women in its membership and hosted a Women’s Open in 2022. Despite some debate about its ability to hold massive crowds, the expectation is that the course will return to the Open rota one day.

Muirfield boasts all-world turf and one of the great, instructive routings in golf history. These are two of the most critical elements for a golf course, and it’s hard to go wrong when both are knocked out of the park. As for views or some sort of dramatic land feature, there will be no “wow” factor for the unsuspecting first-time looker. Muirfield may look ordinary at first glance, but it is brilliant, both fun and punishing.

{{content-block-course-profile-muirfield-001}}