Muirfield (Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers)

Gullane, East Lothian · Designed by Old Tom Morris (1891) / Harry Colt (1925) · Est. 1891

9.8/10Edge Score

££££Green fee

71Par

7,245Yards

18Holes

Why this Edge Score: Home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and host to 16 Opens, Muirfield's clockwise-then-anticlockwise routing means the wind never favours the same shot twice. Often called the fairest of the Open venues, it ranks second in Scotland on our scale, just behind St Andrews.

Muirfield is the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers — the oldest organised golf club in the world, with records running continuously back to 1744, when it drew up the thirteen "Rules of Golf" from which the modern game descends. The club played at Leith and Musselburgh before moving to this links above the Firth of Forth in 1891, where Old Tom Morris laid out the course and Harry Colt redesigned it in 1925.

Many good judges call it the fairest of the Open venues. The routing is unusual: the front nine runs clockwise around the perimeter, the back nine anti-clockwise inside it, so no two consecutive holes play in the same direction and the wind comes from every angle through a round. The bunkering — around 150 traps, beautifully revetted and almost all of them visible — is the defence; there are no tricks, just precise, honest links golf that rewards the player who thinks.

Muirfield has hosted The Open sixteen times, most recently in 2013 when Phil Mickelson closed with a peerless 66. The roll of champions here — Vardon, Hagen, Cotton, Player, Nicklaus, Trevino, Watson, Faldo (twice), Els — is as good as golf gets. Visitor access is limited and formal; it is worth every bit of the planning.

Holes worth knowing

113th "Sea Hole" (par-3, ~190 yards) — uphill to a deep, narrow green sloping sharply back-to-front and ringed by bunkers short; club selection swings wildly with the wind.
218th (par-4) — a demanding closer that has decided multiple Opens, bunkers pinching both the fairway and the green in front of the grand old clubhouse.

Highlights

Home of the world's oldest golf club (1744)
16-time Open host — often called the fairest of them
Unique clockwise-then-anticlockwise two-loop routing

Good to know

→Visitor play is on designated days only (typically Tuesdays and Thursdays), by advance application with a handicap certificate — arrange it months ahead.
→Muirfield sits in golf's richest square mile: Gullane, North Berwick and the Renaissance Club are all within a few miles, so build a full East Lothian week around it.
→The clubhouse and its traditions are famously formal; check the dress and etiquette requirements before you arrive.
→Edinburgh is about 40 minutes west — an ideal city base for an East Lothian golf trip.
→Muirfield lunches are legendary and its traditions taken seriously (jacket and tie in the clubhouse); the pretty village of Gullane and the East Lothian golf coast surround it, Edinburgh 40 minutes west.

Visitor Information

Know before you go

On footWalking only — the two buggies are reserved for those who could not otherwise play. Caddies and trolleys are the norm.

CaddiesA walking course with a strong caddie tradition — book at least 24 hours ahead.

Dress codeGolf attire on-course; the clubhouse public rooms require a jacket and tie for gentlemen, so pack for the famous lunch.

HandicapVisitors need a recognised handicap of 24 or less — carry your certificate.

Book aheadVisitor play is Tuesdays and Thursdays only — plan the trip around those days and book well ahead.

Getting There

40min drive

Common questions

Can visitors play Muirfield?

Yes, but only on designated visitor days (typically Tuesdays and Thursdays), by advance application, with a recognised handicap certificate. The club is famously formal — check the dress code and etiquette — and demand is high, so arrange it months ahead.

Why is Muirfield so historically important?

It is the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest organised golf club in the world, with records running continuously back to 1744 — the year it wrote the thirteen "Rules of Golf" from which the modern rules descend. The club moved to Muirfield in 1891.

What makes the Muirfield course distinctive?

Its routing: the front nine runs clockwise around the perimeter and the back nine anti-clockwise inside it, so no two consecutive holes play in the same direction and the wind keeps changing on you. With around 150 beautifully revetted, mostly visible bunkers and no hidden tricks, it is often called the fairest of all the Open venues. It has hosted The Open sixteen times.