Muirfield Village

[David Bartman]

I played in a USGA event a long time ago, and really liked the golf course.  It was fair off the tee, longer holes had larger fairways and the shorter ones were tighter.  The Par 5's and Par 3's are where Jack incorporated a significant amount of risk/reward.  Let's not however, forget that Muirhead had A LOT of influence on this golf course , before he went ... batty! 

We had a significant amount of rain during and before the first round of matches which made the golf course play much much different than it played prior to the rain.

Looking forward to seeing it play firm and fast for the President's Cup

[Wayne Freeman]

I played it a few years ago and thought it was just beautiful and in incredible condition.  That being said, it just seemed like
 every hole had either water front and bunker back or just the opposite.. that your irons, off incredibly tight lies had to be hit perfectly because the greens were very nerrow front to back.  I wouldn't want to play it every day, but given the chance I would not pass
up another opportunity to play there again.  And BTW, it is soooo.. much better than Bay Hill.. no comparison.

[Matthew Rose]

Anyone know exactly how much Desmond Muirhead there was/is in the course?

I remember he claimed that #12 was basically all his, for one, and that he butted heads with Nicklaus over credit. A lot. But this is also him we are talking about

[Andy Troeger]

As many of you have said, Muirfield Village is really good. It may have too much water in play, especially after the 16th was altered, but the 11th and 14th are among the best holes you will find anywhere--there is something to be said for a meandering creek in play. It never gets much air play, but the 5th is a great par five too on the front nine. I also liked the 2nd.

No way MV is anything less than an 8. I prefer The Golf Club slightly in that area, but both deserve lofty rankings. 

[Jim Nelson]

Is Jack a tree hugger?  On one of the telecasts, Jack and the announcer were discussing one of the holes where a number of ash trees came down due to a disease.  The announcer said he liked the new, more open hole.  Jack replied that he knows that sometimes trees need to go, but he seemed to imply that he hated to remove trees, but if Mother Nature took them out, he was ok with that...sort of.  I have never played the course, but it seems to be choked with trees.  Those of you who have may have a very different opinion.  But Jack really doesn't seem to want to take any out.  Should they start a thinning program?

[Kevin Stark]

The are a number of areas of the course where the trees have thinned out over the years. The locations that stand out in my mind are 11, 12 tee, and 17, though I don't have any direct knowledge of removals they've done. A few removals would go a long way at MV. 5, 8, 9, and 15 could stand to be peeled back a bit farther away from the fairways/greens. If memory serves, those trees in the middle of the fairway bunker complex on 18 are ash trees. Outside of Jack I don't think anyone will cry over the loss of those trees to the ash borer.

[Brad Isaacs]

I've often heard it ranked as number five in Columbus area..
Double Eagle, The Golf Club, Scioto, Scarlet all better courses??

[Andy Troeger]

I've often heard it ranked as number five in Columbus area..
Double Eagle, The Golf Club, Scioto, Scarlet all better courses??

That's a credibility ender for me.  I'm not sure that Scarlet's current version has a single hole as good as anything at MV. Judging by its rankings, others must like Double Eagle better than I do, but take out superior conditioning and the course isn't that special. I don't think Scioto is in MV's league either, but I can understand how others would.

Jim,
I don't think MV is overly treed, other than perhaps a couple spots that Kevin mentioned. The corridors are relatively wide for the most part. I expect some selective tree thinning would still be useful, but I've seen courses that needed tree removal far more than MV.

[Tommy Williamsen]

 Muirfield Village just gets better and better.  I played it the first time in about 1987.  On that trip we played Oakmont, Canterbury, Inverness, Scioto, and Muirfield Village.  After Oakmont I liked it best.  I played it again about three years later with my 16 year old Son who almost broke 80 there for the first time.  There had been a few changes but the bones were pretty much the same.  I play it  every three years or so.  I'm not sure I like 16 with the water but it is exciting.  My scores have stayed about the same over the years although on a few holes I move up a set of tees as my tee balls seem to be landing sooner than they used to.  I'm not sure where it should rank in the pantheon of great golf courses but it should be in the conversation.

[Wayne Freeman]

Andy is right on...   Scarlet would be one and done but you would jump at the chance for multiple plays at Golf Club or MV.

[Matthew Petersen]

Anyone know exactly how much Desmond Muirhead there was/is in the course?

I remember he claimed that #12 was basically all his, for one, and that he butted heads with Nicklaus over credit. A lot. But this is also him we are talking about

Fighting for design credit on a hole that's a virtual copy of another famous 12th hole?

[Matthew Rose]

Found the answer to my own question in the Whitten GD interview:

"That's very hard to say. The visual conception is mine, the land plan, with the holes relating to the housing. The 12th hole is almost entirely mine. Jack had hardly anything to do with it. There are probably nine holes that are entirely mine, another nine where Jack had a fair amount to do with them."