Though it is possible for the visitor to play only 18 holes at Muirfield and move down the road to the next stop on his Scottish golf tour, we highly recommend that the visitor spend a full day at Muirfield and savor all that it has to offer, for a day at Muirfield, the famed course of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, is one of the great experiences in the world of golf.
A day at Muirfield begins with a morning round of 18 holes over the classic links course that has hosted the British Open fifteen times. While the links at Muirfield is set back some distance from the sea and lacks the giant sandhills of some other links courses, it more than makes up for this with wonderful sea views, gently rolling seaside terrain, beautifully manicured links turf, and a collection of excellent golf holes containing over 150 strategically placed bunkers.
A unique feature of the golf course at Muirfield is the clever routing, with the front nine running clockwise and encircling the back nine which runs in a counter-clockwise direction. The result is that, regardless of the wind direction, the golfer is faced with the challenge of playing a constantly changing series of upwind, crosswind and downwind shots. Whether it is this clever routing feature or the straight-forward yet demanding nature of the course, a round at Muirfield is always a highlight of any Scottish golf vacation.
Yet a morning round at Muirfield is only the start of the day, to be followed by a leisurely and sumptuous buffet lunch in the stately and historic clubhouse, where the visiting golfer has the opportunity to mix with the members of the Honourable Company at long tables in the dining area and enjoy the views back over the splendid links. As this time in the clubhouse is as much a part of the Muirfield experience as the visitor's time on the course, we also recommend that the visitor leave himself time to view the golf memorabilia located throughout the clubhouse.
Following lunch, the golfer ventures back out to the golf course for an afternoon game of foursomes (alternate shot). Having already played his own ball in the morning round, and likely a little groggy following the feast-like lunch, this is a wonderful format for a quick and spirited match, using a format that most Americans only see during the Ryder Cup.
We note that, while the visiting golfer is warmly welcomed during his visit to Muirfield, the club only makes a limited number of times available for visitors, generally on Tuesdays and Thursdays. With the popularity of this special links, tee times at Muirfield during the busy season must be made as much as a year or more in advance.
For more information on Muirfield, please visit their website at www.muirfield.org.uk.
