Muirfield Golf Course East Lothian | The Honourable Company

About the Course

Muirfield

Muirfield, home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, is one of the most revered and exclusive golf clubs in the world. Founded in 1744, it holds the distinction of being the oldest verifiable golf club in existence, predating even the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. The club has been at Muirfield since 1891, when the course was laid out by Old Tom Morris on this spectacular East Lothian site overlooking the Firth of Forth.

The course layout is celebrated for its unique and ingenious two-loop design — the front nine runs clockwise around the perimeter while the back nine returns counter-clockwise inside. This brilliant routing, considered one of the finest in golf architecture, ensures that the wind direction changes constantly throughout the round, demanding complete mastery of every shot and the ability to shape the ball both ways. No two consecutive holes play in the same direction, creating an ever-changing strategic challenge.

Muirfield has hosted 16 Open Championships and produced some of golf's most memorable moments, including Jack Nicklaus's first Open victory in 1966 and Nick Faldo's triumph in 1992. The course rewards precision and strategic thinking above all else, with its deep revetted bunkers featuring steep sod faces, firm fast-running fairways, and subtly contoured greens providing a supreme and fair test of championship links golf that has stood the test of time.

18Holes

71Par

7,245Yards

Muirfield golf course view showcasing Links design by Old Tom Morris

Signature Holes

Notable Holes

A selection of the most memorable and challenging holes on the course

3

Third

379 yardsPar 4

A beautifully crafted short par 4 where the tee shot must find a narrow fairway corridor between bunkers. The approach must carry a deep swale to reach a well-protected green surrounded by punishing bunkers on all sides. The green slopes subtly from back to front, making distance control absolutely critical for any realistic birdie chance.

6

Sixth

469 yardsPar 4

One of the finest and most demanding par 4s in championship golf. A long, exacting hole that requires two precise shots to find the narrow, angled green. The fairway bunkers are positioned perfectly to catch anything less than a perfect drive, and the approach must be threaded between deep bunkers to a green that falls away on both sides.

9

Ninth

554 yardsPar 5

The closing hole of the outer loop and a reachable par 5 for the bold and skilled player. The drive must avoid bunkers on both sides, and the second shot decision is critical — lay up safely or attempt to reach the green in two. The green complex is fiercely protected by a series of deep bunkers that have destroyed many championship dreams.

13

Thirteenth

191 yardsPar 3

A stunning and intimidating par 3 with a narrow green angled away from the tee and running from front-left to back-right. The surrounding bunkers, among the deepest and most penal on the course, create a fearsome challenge. The wind off the Firth of Forth makes club selection extremely difficult, and anything missing the green faces a severe recovery.

17

Seventeenth

550 yardsPar 5

A strategic par 5 where the second shot must navigate a narrow corridor between bunkers to set up a realistic chance at birdie. Ernie Els famously birdied this hole in the final round to win the 2002 Open Championship, holding off a charging field. The green is elevated and well-protected, demanding a precise approach.

18

Eighteenth

473 yardsPar 4

A demanding and dramatic finishing hole that has decided many Open Championships throughout history. The drive must avoid bunkers on both sides of a fairway that narrows at the landing zone. The approach to the elevated green, with the elegant clubhouse as backdrop, requires pinpoint accuracy as bunkers guard the entrance and steep slopes fall away on all sides.

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