I would have to disagree completely on Muirfield
I said on the Great courses without great holes thread:
Somebody mentioned Pinehurst #2, it's great example. It's not a spectacular setting but it doesn't mean that they are not great holes even if they don't photographed well.
Same with Muirfield, a lot of great holes, no weaknesses in my opinion, but out of the blue most people won't Muirfield as possessing some of the best holes in the world.
I explain something to my friend about St Andrews and North Berwick. My perception was that the holes one by one are great at North Berwick, there are some more spectacular shots etc... but the game is better at St Andrews, how you have to think for 18 holes, how much detail needs to be understood, how the course flows from one hole to the other... it's really a course, a track
For Muirfield, the same applies as there's not a lot of shots that you'll be dreaming of playing the next morning, but playing against that course, battling out shot for shot for 18 holes must be an awesome feeling.
To a certain extend, Muirfield look more fun in stroke play than in match play (especially if you compare it to North Berwick)
If I generalise a bit here, it seems that people are more impressed by the setting than the golf course in itself.
Philippe,
Believe me, I can appreciate that all of us have our favorites and there is not always a "right answer" as to what makes a course inspiring or great.
Not that anyone may care, but I was going to give my hole by hole of Muirfield and why I found it dull and boring. I did play 4 rounds there last summer in great weather (maybe that was the problem!) and have played a lot of oversees golf. Two of my rounds were practice rounds and two were competitive.
Also, I'd be curious as to which holes you think are great at Muirfield? #9, #13, #17, #18?
Here it goes:
Scale is: "Blah" "Hmmm" and "Wow"
#1 Tough tee shot. Tee seems like you are out in a pasture, which, I guess you are. Left fairway bunker is tough--can lead to unplaybale lies given its shape/form. Ground is flat from tee to green. "Blah"
#2 More interesting rolling ground and a neat fall off on the left of the fairway. Green is pretty bland for a drive and pitch hole. I give it a "Blah"
#3 Drive to a flat fairway. Second shot is short and I guess the mounds on either side before the green make the drive more interesting so you don't have a blindish shot. Large green with interesting stuff on the left if I remember correctly. I'll give it a "Hmmm".
#4 A good hole with a dramatic fall off to the right. This may be the wrong way to look at it but after playing the first three par 3s--4,7 and 13 I got tired of a 195 yard 4 or 5 iron to an all of nothing green. No chance to run the ball up (thank god there was no wind for the week) or do anything other than hit and hope. The tees had been lengthened and all 4 par 3s were right in the same distance. Judged alone this par 3 is interesting but overall the 3s were too much of the same stuff. "Hmmm" for the hole alone but "Blah" for the sameness of the par 3s as a group.
#5 Booooring. Long, straight, uphill. No advantage to hitting any side of the fairway on the drive. Second shot was only important to lay up along the right side if the hole was left behind the bunker. Otherwise.....Pretty view of the water on the left--they should build a course between the current one and the water
"Blah"
#6 One of my favorites--I liked the sweeping downhill left dogleg. Inside bunkers were great, stone wall interesting and the green was a tough target. Bad drive hit to the right could stay up on the hill and leave a wood into the green and a good drive could get you in 6 or 7 iron distance. "Wow"
#7 Par 3 195, 4 or 5 iron with death on the left. Severe back to front green. No chance to play a run up shot-hit and hope. See hole #4.
#8 Nice dogleg right with a million bunkers on the right. Actually, the fairway was so narrow at the bend it took driver out of your hand. Everyone I played with hit 2 iron to 3w left of the bunkers where the fairway was very wide. Had the fairway bulged just a little, drivers would have a chance of not running through the fairway. As it was, no strategy--layup left and the green was wide and big so just hit the next one over the cross bunkers. "Hmmmm" but could be a "Wow" if fairway was fatter at the corner.
#9 Neat par 5. Wall is nice, left bunkers keep drives down the right but it seemed like a pretty nothing hole. The layup was easy and even without challenging the fairway bunkers you'd be right up near the green in two. I thought the wall would be much closer to the green and much more intimidating on the layup. "Hmmm"
#10 Tee shot is like hitting on a driving range. Second shot has interest and the green set in the hill was cool. Still, nothing to inspire me. "Blah" tee shot, "Hmmm" second shot and green
#11 Loved this hole! Great tee shot--blind up and over the hill. Green was interesting and bunkered very well. I loved this hole. "Wow"
#12 Downhill nothing tee shot--irons mostly. Nice large green--wind seemed to be from the left and behind and with the green pitched toward you, you had to make sure and keep the ball beneath the hole. Tee shot a zero but a good second shot. "Blah" tee shot, "Hmmm" green
#13 Par 3--guess what--195 yard 4 or 5 iron AGAIN. No chance again to run up a shot. This hole was lengthened from a 165 yards or so and I think it's just too damned hard. One hop left of the green and your ball was lost--it's uphill and blind so you can't see where your ball hits. If they had left this as a 6-8 iron shot on a calm day, I think it would have been better. Treacherous green and left bunker. Neat back hole location but with a three or four iron in your hand, you are just trying to hit it anywhere you can find it again. Actually a "Wow" if I could have moved up 25 yards. Too much of the same during the tournament so a "Hmmm"
#14 Long, slightly downhill to a flat fairway and green. "Blah"
#15 Long dogleg right to a flattish fairway and green. "Blah"
#16 Par 3 195 yard 4 or 5 iron. BUT you could hit a variety of shots and the tiered green was very interesting. Maybe the weakest par 3 but at least it gave you a choice as to how to play the hole. "Hmmm"
#17 Famous par 5. I couldn't believe that the famous inside bunkers were impossible to see from the tee. Absolutely plain, bland tee shot. Actually it doesn't bother me and I often like it when a hole appears wide open with no "defined" target--messes with the good players who are always looking for a spot to aim at. Anyway, I just thought they would be some huge intimidating bunkers and while they were deep and dictated play of the hole, they weren't intimidating. Second shot was more "inspiring". Huge cross bunkers and mounds and a narrow entrance to the green were very cool. Mounding around the green was bigger than I thought it would be. Even though I wanted more from the tee shot, this is a great hole. "Hmmm" tee shot and "Wow" the rest of the way in
#18 Straight and flat again. Green was much smaller and much more severe than many on the course. Right greenside horseshoe bunker also seemed "small" and much more shallow than I expected. "Blah" Not a bad hole, just nothing great. (I actually got chills at #18 TOC but here I couldn't wait to be done.)
Again, I am not saying anyone is wrong (although I am prepared for those that will say I'm an idiot) I just was underwhelmed. It was a tough course but for a tough course that is going to beat me up everyday, give me RCD anytime over Muirfield.