Next up: Just how good is the Honourable Company?

[Phil McDade]

Rehash Merion East and the 2013 US Open all you want; I'm interested in folks' thoughts on the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield), host this year to the Open Championship.

Of interest, to me at least, is that Muirfield elicits varying opinions as a piece of architecture. It's venerated in many quarters; Crenshaw loves it, and Nicklaus named a certain course near his hometown after the links, where he won the championship. It's viewed as perhaps "the fairest" of the Open venues, with little of the quirk or blindness that you find at The Old Course or Sandwich. But others have characterized it as tough but a bit of a bore, with little to distinguish it as among the best of the Open rota courses.

Our host has never written a course profile on it, and it's been subject to little in the way of serious examination (with pics!) on the GCA board, from what I can find.

What say you? Interested in the perspective of those who have played it.

(And this -- does it favor a particular golfer? The last time it played host to the Open, in 2002, Els won the first of his two titles. He's also the defending champion, and showed good form at Merion with a T-4. Rose a likely betting favorite; surely he's played it? Anyone else? Tiger's only seen it once, in '02, and got blown away in the 3rd-round gale.)

[Mark Bourgeois]

From Ran's interview:

"Last story: in 1983, the Morrissett Gang of Five headed for Scotland (Sandy our dog was alas not included). We played in order Turnberry, Dornoch, The Old Course at St. Andrews, and Muirfield. To a person, we felt Muirfield was the weakest of the group. If one thinks of the four properties, Muirfield’s is by far the least compelling and we didn’t think the architecture made up enough for it. We arrived back home to the new issue of GOLF Magazine proclaiming that Muirfield was no. 1 in the world. Needless to say, we lost the plot and debate ensued for weeks over the dinner table as to this apparent outrage. My personal gut key was that I had been dragged off The Old Course and Dornoch after 36 and 54 plus holes in a day. Same for Turnberry. Yet at Muirfield, we played 18 and I was happy to go."

[Brett_Morrissy]

Of all the golfers I know that have played in The UK,  the only one who rated Muirfield in his top couple or maybe even his favourite was the strongest and best player I know. He hits it a very long way off the tee with great control, and he really enjoyed the test this course put on his game. The courses with "the blindness" got him into trouble, even with direction from caddies, they underestimated how far he hit it, and lost many balls. I haven't played there, so, is it reasonable to gather from my single piece of anecdotal evidence, that this is a players course? Absolutely not. Does it have any relevance? Perhaps?

If it is the case, will it be perceived as similar to Merion in this case, with a preference for the pure ball striker who can control his accuracy and length the best? Els, I seem to recall was outstanding from the bunkers at the time.

[Garland Bayley]

Doak 10?

[Phil McDade]

Doak 10?

Yes -- along with Merion
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,52604.0.html

[CJ Carder]

Almost 6 years after our trek to Scotland and rounds at Muirfield, I still count it as the best golfing experience of my life and that includes trips to Kiawah, The Old Course, Ballyneal, Olympic, Pinehurst, Pebble, etc.  Now, to be fair, the course's general aura, the clubhouse, the "exclusivity" (read $$$) of getting to play there all factored in to the experience and so architecture was only part of the puzzle for me. 

With that said, I still think it's an excellent golf course and debating whether or not it's better than Dornoch, Turnberry, or The Old Course is really like choosing which swimsuit model you'd rather wake up next to in the morning.  Muirfield is by far the hardest of the bunch but that shouldn't be a knock on the whether or not it's a good course.  The 2nd is a really cool little par 4 with the wall down the left side.  3 is a solid par 4 with huge dunes obscuring the view for a less than well placed tee shot.  To me, the stretch from 6-13 are the best holes on the course.

[Brent Carlson]

Phil,

The HCEG is amazing.  Is it no. 1 in the world?  No in my opinion; but it's not far behind.  Muirfield will especially appeal to the low handicap golfer.  It requires the player to execute exacting shots.  You simply cannot miss your drive in the hay.  It is a minimum one stroke penalty.  Someone who enjoys quirk will not immediately take to Muirfield.

The par 3s particularly stand out.  Each requires a confident swing to reach the putting surface.  No. 13 is particularly good.  This hole will be key in the Open.  

There are also some strong par 4s.  My favorites are are 6 and 8.  17 is easily the best par 5 IMO.

There is a great feel to the experience at Muirfield.  It reeks of old money, and yet it's open to every golfer, provided they pony up the green fee.  When you walk into the clubhouse and see the history - wow - it's hard to put into words.  The four ball - lunch - foursomes day is one of the best in golf.  Not to mention Muirfield has one of the best showers in Scotland.  All around the experience is top notch.

History has proven that only top tier golfers win at Muirfield.  Just look at the past champions.  This year will be no different.  I only wish I were there to watch.  

Brent

[Jim Nugent]

What did Doak say about Muirfield, explaining why he gave it a 10?  Is it perhaps a great example of the kind of golf it requires? 

[Garland Bayley]

"Maybe the world's best championship course, Muirfield is one of just two Open venues [along with Turnberry] which low-handicap Americans are guaranteed to like; the visual definition and classic route plan are what the scratch player would characterize as "fair," but it still exudes the character and charm. The quality of its bunkering is unsurpassed; each one is a fearsome hazard, but the mix of old-fashioned cross-bunkers and strategically placed wing hazards encourages the player to flirt with them, instead of forcing him to drive into tight corsets. Each of the three par-five holes is an essay on bunker placement, and as a set may be the best three-shotters on any course in the world. The uphill par-3 13th, to an armchair green with cruel bunkers along its flanks, is another favorite."

Doak, Tom, The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, 1994, Renaissance Golf Design, Inc., pg. 159.

[Mark Pearce]

Muirfield is one of the three best courses I have played, the others are CPC and Dornoch.  If forced to choose one of the three, which I find impossible, it would likely be the winner.

It may lack quirk (though even that is a little unfair, there's a wall in play on the 6th and on the 9th, a blind tee shot on 11 and semi-blind approaches on 8 and 9) but it is excellent golfing ground (not as roly-poly as St Andrews but there's plenty of contour to consider), it has a famously excellent routing and some of the best bunkering around (perhaps the excellence of the bunkering distracts some critics from the other features of the course).  Unlike Brent, I think the absolute stars of the show are the par 5s.  Certainly the strongest set of par 5s I have played.  It doesn't have a driveable par 4 but 2, 3, 11, 12 and 15 can all, in the right wind be drive and pitch holes and each an excellent example of the genre.  The longer par 4s (1, 6, 8, 10, 14 and 18) are a seriously tough proposition but, again, are all excellent holes.

It's reputation as a tough course is fair but it remains playable by all.  Even in a warm, wet summer like this you have to be pretty wild to lose a lot of balls.  I was there a couple of weeks ago and lost one ball in the day and that as a result of a shank from a fairway bunker on the 1st hole of the day and I am a very average player.

[Ally Mcintosh]

For me, this is the key sentence in Tom's review in the Confidential Guide:

"The quality of its bunkering is unsurpassed; each one is a fearsome hazard, but the mix of old-fashioned cross-bunkers and strategically placed wing hazards encourages the player to flirt with them, instead of forcing him to drive into tight corsets"

There are many, many great links courses that are routed well through the land at their disposal. There are far fewer that are bunkered exceptionally.

[Ben Stephens]

Muirfield is one of the three best courses I have played, the others are CPC and Dornoch.  If forced to choose one of the three, which I find impossible, it would likely be the winner.

It may lack quirk (though even that is a little unfair, there's a wall in play on the 6th and on the 9th, a blind tee shot on 11 and semi-blind approaches on 8 and 9) but it is excellent golfing ground (not as roly-poly as St Andrews but there's plenty of contour to consider), it has a famously excellent routing and some of the best bunkering around (perhaps the excellence of the bunkering distracts some critics from the other features of the course).  Unlike Brent, I think the absolute stars of the show are the par 5s.  Certainly the strongest set of par 5s I have played.  It doesn't have a driveable par 4 but 2, 3, 11, 12 and 15 can all, in the right wind be drive and pitch holes and each an excellent example of the genre.  The longer par 4s (1, 6, 8, 10, 14 and 18) are a seriously tough proposition but, again, are all excellent holes.

It's reputation as a tough course is fair but it remains playable by all.  Even in a warm, wet summer like this you have to be pretty wild to lose a lot of balls.  I was there a couple of weeks ago and lost one ball in the day and that as a result of a shank from a fairway bunker on the 1st hole of the day and I am a very average player.

very average player??? you are one of GCA's most ruthless bandits! the criteria most make for an average player is 18 hcap

As for Muirfield - on of the key elements I use for the strength of the course is the quality of the champion/winner of the Open.

Muirfield has Els, Faldo, Faldo, Watson, Trevino, Nicklaus - that's a hell of a list and the evidence points that the course 'breeds' the best player as Open Champion. Els had to make the bunker shot of his life on 13th in the final round in 2002 Open and Faldo had to hit the best 5 iron of his life on the 15th in 1992. Muirfield demands shots of the highest quality.

Hope to play it one day alongside TOC having already played Carnoustie, Turnberry, Lytham, Hoylake, Birkdale, Sandwich

[Dieter Jones]

We have a member at my club who won the silver medal for best amateur at the open championship in 1954 at birkdale. He also competed for Australia in the winning 1958 Eisenhower trophy team at StAndrews. He is a wonderful gentleman with interesting and well considered opinions on golf. I asked him once what he considered the best course in the UK and he said muirfield without hesitation. Obviously he was a very good player which adds weight to the theory re the type of players who love Muirfield.

[Sean_A]

I'm not really a fan of Muirfield.  As a guy who likes terrain to trump all, I am suspect of any course whose best feature is its bunkering - tee hee.  There is no question Muirfield has top notch bunkering in terms of placement, blocking lines of sight, aesthetics and difficulty.  I can't think of a championship course anywhere that matches Muirfield.  That said, when there are 150 bunkers, that tells me something is lacking about the terrain and/or many bunkers are unnecessary.  Efficiency of design is important to me not only for playability reasons, but also for aesthetics.  That said, Muirfield is most definitely a championship links and as such the test needs to be tough.  The routing is justly famous, but I think that terrain and and out of the box architecture can trump an "ideal" routing.  TOC is the perfect example of this. The greens are nothing special - not surprising for a links.  

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Muirfield is also a reason I have little affection for it.  Muirfield is ever so modern.  Too modern for a guy like me who likes to see quirk scattered about.  Muirfield is completely devoid of any quirk.  This is an amazing accomplishment considering when the course was built and revised.  If anyone doubts the claim that Colt wasn't the first modern architect whose work continues to have serious influence on current design, they just aren't paying attention.  

Anyway, Muirfield is part of the Colt Stable and what an incredibly diverse stable it is.  Combined with its Open pedigree, history and one-off day experience, Muirfield is a must play.

Ciao  

[Tom_Doak]

I did give it a 10 and that perfect score [well either that or the one for Pinehurst #2] is the one which is questioned most often.  I don't feel like I ought to defend the course; with The Open coming up, I'm confident it will defend itself admirably.

The one negative of the course is that the rough can be just BRUTAL if they've had a wet year ... it is sometimes lost-ball country even in a major championship.  That's one big reason the members love to play foursomes; they don't have to look for as many balls.  It's too bad the club embraces that part of its championship image and rarely cuts the rough back, because the course would be just fine without it.  But I won't hold that against the architecture ... after all, we didn't for Merion.

[And if we're going to use Ran's new criteria of who won major championships there, well, look at the recent winners!]

[Thomas Dai]

Muirfield? I normally prefer courses a bit on the quirky side but I still reckon Muirfield in just about perfection. 10/10. My favourite links course in the UK ahead on Royal Dornoch. Great, although somewhat unusual, routing. Fantastic bunkering, particularly the fairway bunkering, especially how the surrounding terrain feeds balls into the bunkers. A what you see is what you get course - only one blind tee shot. Sufficient undulations to make things interesting. Fantastic par-3's. Okay the rough can sometimes be brutal, but play more conservatively, Jack Nicklaus did in 1966 and won The Open. Tranquil and serene environment and ambiance. Great clubhouse. The history. Long tables for lunch. Brilliant place.

All the best.

[Phil McDade]

The one negative of the course is that the rough can be just BRUTAL if they've had a wet year ... it is sometimes lost-ball country even in a major championship.  That's one big reason the members love to play foursomes; they don't have to look for as many balls.  It's too bad the club embraces that part of its championship image and rarely cuts the rough back, because the course would be just fine without it.  But I won't hold that against the architecture ... after all, we didn't for Merion.

Tom:

Would it be fair, then, to characterize Muirfield as the Oakmont of the UK?

That's what I've always heard about Muirfield (I haven't played it) -- that it is a very difficult test for the high and even mid-handicapper, as others here suggest.

[Greg Taylor]

Muirfield's strongest point is also it's weakest... it's lack of "quirk" or charm.

There are no funky walls, drives over hotels, blind shots, lighthouses etc... but unlike a Troon it does have character/some changes in elevation.

The bunkering, routing and consistency are all why it's my personal favourite if it could be considered by some as bland.

Horses for courses etc...!

[Mark Pearce]

Play there in Winter and you can hit the ball almost anywhere and find it.  Rough becomes an issue in April/May and stays that way, in most summers until October.  Pretty much the same can be said about any links course.

[Bill_McBride]

Muirfield's strongest point is also it's weakest... it's lack of "quirk" or charm.

There are no funky walls, drives over hotels, blind shots, lighthouses etc... but unlike a Troon it does have character/some changes in elevation.

The bunkering, routing and consistency are all why it's my personal favourite if it could be considered by some as bland.

Horses for courses etc...!

Walls on 2, 6 and 9.  Granted you don't play over them, but they are definitely in play as OB left. 

Blind second over that damned cross bunker on 10, and the tee shot up and over on 11. 

I was fortunate enough to enjoy a nice day there in late March, before the hay had grown in.  Had a wonderful day, with fun four ball match in the morning and really good foursomes after a long and liquid lunch.   I don't care if there is not much quirk (although I disagree), Muirfield is a 10 and the day there should be on every golfer's bucket list. 

[Brad Tufts]

Not that I can add much to the above, but:

Like many old courses in the US that have been bastardized in the name of major tournament golf, I was prepared to dislike Muirfield.  I was VERY pleasantly surprised, as I thought it was great.  It had enough quirk for me, and also seemed to have secrets to unlock during multiple plays.  I also loved how instead of shuffling the visitors to the tourist tees, the visitor set-up included 6 Open Championship tees, 6 medal tees, and 6 short tees.

I played North Berwick that afternoon, and I was very happy we played them in that order.  Perhaps the best 36-hole day I've ever had!

[Simon Holt]

Muirfield is every bit as good as it's admirers say.

I always smile when golfers say it doesn't have views of the water, quirk or charm.  It might not have those to the extreme of some others in the neighbourhood but it has them, along with fine Championship pedigree.  

Has no one noticed the wonderful backdrop while approaching 11?  Teeing off on 2? Standing on the 4th tee?  Teeing off on 12?

There are walls on 2, 6 and 9....all of which come into play for shots that go left.  

Blind shots on 3 (if your tee shot ends up on the right), 6 off the tee, semi-blind second shot on 8, semi-blind second shot on 10, tee shot on 11....then the drive and second shots on 17 are semi-blind depending on tees and wind direction.

The bunkering is wonderful; they all have a present day purpose which cant be said for many courses that age.  Ball positioning on the fairways is key.  The golf course is unquestionably difficult but if you can get off the tee then you will score.  The greens have a certain level of undulation but not so that a good putter can't expect to two putt from anywhere, on any green.  

I've played twice in the last month and predictably, it's in fantastic condition. We've had lots of rain in the early part of the year; the heat we have experienced in the last 2 weeks has really promoted the rough.  The Open will be great viewing if the weather plays ball.

As a side note.  North Berwick is in as good a condition as I can remember in 20 years.  The greens are wonderful, the fairways are a beautiful brown/yellow colour.  Its a real throwback to how it was when I was growing up.  Final Qualifying is there on July 2nd so I'm guessing that is what the R&A have asked for.  Hats off to them if thats the case....and if it is, expect a VERY firm and fast Muirfield.

[Carl Johnson]

Phil,

. . . Not to mention Muirfield has one of the best showers in Scotland. . . .  

Brent

I'll second that (at least I've experienced none better).  However, as a high handicapper (right on the line of what they permitted of visitors in 2007), I did not enjoy my round and would have no interest in returning.  Trying to discount the fact that it rained fairly hard during the entire round (I skipped the afternoon foursome experience), I found it a boring slog - fairly flat and no scenery.  I wasn't particularly fond of the atmosphere, either.  I found the dining room staff snooty and the food, while good, not out of the ordinary.  Another incident.  The four of us were assigned to two-ball tee times, one group following the other.  Around hole 16, with only one other two-ball group on the course as far as we could tell (remember the pouring rain), we decided to combine our two-balls into a four-ball group for the finish.  Seemingly from out of nowhere a voice boomed - "No you won't.  You start as two-balls, you finish as two-balls."  O.K., they make the rules and we are privileged guests . . . but give me a break.  However, after finally coming in from the rain, the showers were wonderful.

[Bob_Huntley]

I have to agree with Tom  that it is a ten but combined with staying at Greywalls makes it an eleven.

Bob

[Neil_Crafter]

How good? Very, very, good.