Muirfield

Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland is just one of the fantastic courses you can play on the Edinburgh & East Lothian Golf Tour. The club is an important part of golf’s heritage, as it established the earliest rules of the growing game, the first formal competition, and the Silver Club – the oldest trophy in golf. It is also the home of the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

Muirfield Golf Links has hosted 16 Open Championships, although not all were played on the current Muirfield Golf Course. Six Opens – held between 1874 and 1889 – were held at its previous home in Musselburgh, before the club moved to its current site in Muirfield in 1891.

Old Tom Morris was responsible for laying out the original Muirfield golf design opened in 1891, that was expanded and redesigned by Harry Colt in 1925 with the acquisition of additional land. Tom Simpson made improvements in the 1930s and then Martin Hawtree in 2011 modernized the course for today’s professionals.

The course is not a traditional out and back links routing, but rather consists of two loops of nine that both return to the clubhouse. The outward nine is in a clockwise direction and the inward nine is counterclockwise. Known for its strategic and penal bunkering, unless you have the touch and brilliance of Ernie Els, the 2002 Open winner, it is best to avoid them at all costs if you wish to return a decent score.

However, like many clubs in the UK, Muirfield is a “two-ball” club where foursomes (alternate shot with a partner) is the preferred method of play. Even their club championship is a two-ball competition rather than medal.

The format has many advantages, not the least of which it is fast, with most rounds lasting under two hours. This is because the highlight of a day at Muirfield, especially if the weather is in climate, is the fabulous roast lunch which would rival any 5-star hotel buffet. The members arrive in their coats and ties, change out for golf, change back for proper lunch. Then usually after fortification of food and drink, change back out for another round across the links.

Muirfield recognizing their importance to avid golfers around the world allows limited visitor play – but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays (foursomes only). They offer both 18 and 36 hole packages. To experience Muirfield as a member enjoys, opt for the 36-hole experience, playing your own ball in the morning, partaking in the fantastic roast lunch (don’t forget your coat and tie) and then playing an additional round in foursome format.