Muirfield: The Evolution

[Paul_Turner]

Just the routing plans:


1920 Routing

After Colt's changes in 1928; the famous routing is in place.

A comparison

I believe Gil Hanse must have used the top two routing plans for his drawing and then scaled accordingly.  Because the dates are the same and the yardages are too.  (But there are some differences in the bunkers between Gil Hanse's drawing and the top two).

So Colt doesn't change the shape of 7,8,9 very much, although it does look like he changes the green size and bunkers if you compare the top two plans.

The remaining 15 are completely different.

Overall I think the current course looks faithful to Colt's design but with obviously fewer bunkers and without Simpson's famous bunker at the 9th.

[ian]

Its still one of my top 3 I've ever played. It was fun to look at the changes, since I can still remember all the holes after 14 years. Thanks Paul.

[Ran Morrissett]

So who deserves the most credit for the 1920 course? The bunkering looks wild and distinctive and blessed with great variety.

Looks like Colt intended to preserve a few of the biggest bunkers ala the ones along the 9th but obviously at some point, someone made them into a series of smaller pots. Wonder who, when and what drove the change - the wind?

The shared area in the top 1920 color map looks interesting as does the moat bunker on the 2nd and the fact that the 1st was once a one shotter hard up against the OB. Plus the 15th looks to have been a minefield of trouble.

Cheers,

[GeoffreyC]

I'd always thought Old Tom Morris did the original routing at Muirfield.  Is the 1920 version his work for the most part?

I also never realized just how extensive Colt's revisions were. Its a whole new course.

Nice job Paul.

[Paul Turner]

There's an earlier routing plan which I'll post; but it ain't very clear.  It's a mass of cross bunkers.

Not sure of the detail on who deserves the credit before Colt.



  

[Paul_Turner]

The 1891 routing, not much walking between tee and green!  Interesting how the holes zig-zag

[Niall C]

If Paul Turner reads this can he re-post the routing plans as unfortunately the time machine has lost them.

Thanks

Niall

[Ed Oden]

If Paul Turner reads this can he re-post the routing plans as unfortunately the time machine has lost them.

Thanks

Niall

Niall, I couldn't find copies of the routings elsewhere.  But, based on this post, http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,1848.msg35731.html#msg35731
it looks like Paul got them from Muirfield history books and the book "Colt and Co."  Perhaps you can find copies of those books.

[KBanks]

From the Muirfield website:

"Changes to Muirfield

14 Apr 2011

Changes to 15 holes have been completed at Muirfield ahead of the 2013 Open. These include the addition of six new Champioship Tees extending the course to 7209 yards and the tightening of drive areas and entrances to greens.

The last major changes to Muirfield were done in the 1930's by Harry Colt, an enduring endorsement of the course's classic layout. The new changes by Martin Hawtree could be described as subtle and preserve the intrinsic nature of this beautiful links course."

I saw the new back tee on nine being built a few years ago, on the land HCEG traded for with Renaissance Club. Is anyone familiar with other changes by Hawtree?

Ken

[Mark Pearce]

Ken,

My impression is that most of the changes consist of moving greenside bunkers slightly closer to the greens and in some cases making green entrances slightly narrower.

[Bill_McBride]

Ken,

My impression is that most of the changes consist of moving greenside bunkers slightly closer to the greens and in some cases making green entrances slightly narrower.

Mark, are they enlarging and bringing the bunkers closer to the greens, or expanding the greens to their original size and thereby closer to the bunkers?

When I was there in 2007 the crew was rebuilding the bunkers on the original footprints.

[Mark Pearce]

Bill,

They've certainly moved some of the bunkers.  They've also removed at least one, left of the 8th green.

[Paul_Turner]

I hope Hawtree and the R&A used a light hand here.

Did the entrances really need tightening? 

[Ed Oden]

Paul, can you re-post the routing images?

[Mark Pearce]

I hope Hawtree and the R&A used a light hand here.

Did the entrances really need tightening? 

The R&A's perception was that they did.  To be honest the changes are really quite subtle, to my eye at least.

[Mark Chaplin]

As the GCA'er who plays Muirfield the most, if Mark thinks the touch is light it clearly is.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill,

They've certainly moved some of the bunkers.  They've also removed at least one, left of the 8th green.

So the greens are the same size?

[Mark Pearce]

Bill,

They've certainly moved some of the bunkers.  They've also removed at least one, left of the 8th green.

So the greens are the same size?

So far as I can tell.

[Paul_Turner]

Sorry for the slow response to Niiall's request, this thread is almost 10 yrs old and it took some digging. 

I can't find the 1891 image, but here are the other scans from back then: 1920 and 1928 plans and an attempt at a merge of the two which I haven't really checked for scale accuracy. i.e. it shows the 7th in a slightly different place, but I'm not sure if Colt moved or not. 

But the scale and merge must be pretty close because the boundaries match well.

Also Gil Hanse's drawing from Colt and Co which is almost the same but has a few differences : tee positions and his 1928 shows the 2nd green shifted relative to the 1920.  He's drawn a scale too, so perhaps this is more accurate.

[Sean_A]

I have been reading the fascinating The Golf Book Of East Lothian recently.  On page 229 a map of the Muirfield's second iteration, prepared for the 1896 Open, is included.  Additionally, a brief description of links is provided on pages 228 & 230.  It is quite clear the ingenius loop within a loop design was in place for the 1896 Open.  If this is the case, why is Colt always given credit for the routing?  For sure Colt made dramatic changes, especially to the back nine and the later holes on the front nine, but so far as I can see, he followed the idea of a reversed loop within a loop that existed previously.  With this in mind, should Muirfield be seen as a Colt course or rather a Colt/Old Tom/Wauchope design?  


Ciao

[Ed Oden]

Thanks Paul!  I assume the 1891 map you can't find is this one, courtesy of Melvyn Morrow...


For what it's worth, here is the same image again and two others compiled in a single image by Melvyn...


...and another courtesy of Joe Bausch...

[Paul_Turner]

Sean

This was already discussed in the other thread.

I don't think anyone gives credit for Colt and the loop within a loop concept,  that's your projection.  He is just credit him with the current design with its elegant clockwise-anticlockwise routing.  Which considering how major the changes were... is about fair in my opinion.  But obviously as you can see from the merge, some holes were kept: 2,7?-9 and the 10th green site.

If 14 new holes are created, bunkers changes and greens re-modelled then who gets most of the credit?

[Sean_A]

Sean

This was already discussed in the other thread.

I don't think anyone gives credit for Colt and the loop within a loop concept,  that's your projection.  He is just credit him with the current design with its elegant clockwise-anticlockwise routing.  Which considering how major the changes were... is about fair in my opinion.  But obviously as you can see from the merge, some holes were kept: 2,7?-9 and the 10th green site.

If 14 new holes are created, bunkers changes and greens re-modelled then who gets most of the credit?

Paul

Pugh & Lord strongly insinuate the loop within a loop design is down to Colt.  We can talk about 14 new holes etc, but the basic routing is not that much altered from Old Tom's.  That has to count for something - no?

Ciao

[Paul_Turner]

Sean

Those books are pretty poor in accuracy.

If the holes aren't in the same places then, in my book, it isn't the same routing.

But yes Old Tom etc should get credit for the earlier routing, loop within a loop.

[Melvyn Morrow]

From The Scotsman

12th June 1920


6th May 1929


1929 & 1920 together