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| Muirfield |
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Muirfield © 2006, Richard & Mary-Alice Jafolla "The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers"If I were going for brevity I could sum up this review in a few words: Muirfield is one of the finest golf courses in the world. It could be as simple as that. But that's not all Muirfield is--it's more than a great golf course. I feel its importance lies in its connection to the history and tradition of golf. Muirfield is more than a golf course, it is a golf club made up of a group of individuals--The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers--who have carried on a tradition that dates back to 1744. Imagine, 1744! When the U.S.A. was only a dream in the mind of a few extraordinary thinkers, a group of men were already meeting in Edinburgh to draw up some rules of golf! They were meeting to discuss and codify the original thirteen rules of golf before any practical steam engine was in use! For heaven's sake, this golf club predates even the discovery and identification of hydrogen and nitrogen!Muirfield did not always occupy the site it now stands on. In fact, the club used the facilities at the Old Musselburgh (Musselburgh Links) course for many years before moving to Gullane in 1897. Since then it has hosted 14 Open Championships, the latest won by Ernie Els in 2002.
Muirfield is the first golf course to be designed in two concentric, opposing loops. The first 9 holes proceed clockwise along the outside edge while the back 9 run counter clockwise in the inner part. It works out that there are only three consecutive holes (#s 3, 4 and 5) running in the same direction. That means the wind coming off the North Sea is a constant factor in club selection. And my, oh my, does this make for some interesting golf! The layout of this amazing course is difficult enough even without wind. Tom Watson felt that "…there is not a weak hole on this course." With thick rough and cavernous bunkers, it's a test for even the most accomplished golfer. If you're a mid-handicapper like me, you'll feel as if you're driving a Ferrari after having driven a Volkswagen all your life. Bring Your Long Game Be sure you treat the first hole with respect. Jack Nicklaus thinks it is "…as tough an opening hole as there is anywhere in championship golf." Not only is there severe rough down the sides of a narrow fairway, the green slopes front to back. Nothing less than a high approach will hold if the greens are playing their usual hard selves. And at 444 yards you're expected to get the ball in the hole in just 4 strokes! If the wind is in your face, the average golfer can abandon all hope of getting to the green in 2.
Bring Your Short Game! Muirfield is a course that calls for a good short game because there are many long par 4s. For example, off the medal tees there are par 4s of 436 yards, 439 yards, 442 yards, 444 yards, and 471 yards. With the trailing wind I could make some of these greens in two but with no wind or the wind in my face, forget it. That's why the short game is critical. And that is doubly true for putting. I parked myself on the 16 hole for a full day during the 2002 Open Championship and watched golfer after golfer miss what on the TV looked to be easy short putts. What the TV did not show, however, were the diabolical undulations of the green. This is true on not just a few holes--every green is a challenge. All the more reason to get your approach close. If you don't, your scorecard can easily be filled with 3 putt greens.
Bring Your Mid-iron Game Too The par 3s are true works of art. They measure182, 147, 156, and 186 yards from the medal tees. Sounds easy, n'est ce pas? But let's look at them. The first one you will encounter is the 4th. At 182 yards it's certainly reachable with an iron (on some days, that is--days without wind). The trouble is that it's an inverted saucer green with a huge bunker right in front so you're not going to roll one up, and three other bunkers scattered about on both sides. If you don't hold the green your second shot is a very difficult and delicate pitch. Plus, the green is sloped so if you and the hole are on opposite sides, you are probably looking at a 3 putt. The next par three is the 7th. Okay, it's only 147 yards, but the green is another of those inverted saucers that demands you hit and hold. Again there's no rolling up because the terrain in front is very hilly. Four bunkers protect the sides as well. Next is the 156 yard 13th. The area around the green is protected by 5 bunkers in addition to many undulations, which making missing the green a chore. What fools you on this seeming easy par 3 is that it is uphill. I sat for an hour during the Open Championship in 2002 and watched many professionals come up short. Take an extra club on this one.
Finally, you face the 186 yard 16th. This is the hole where Ernie Els took a 5 on the last day of the Open Championship. This green is protected by 7--count 'em--bunkers and steep sides where bunkers are not present. The putting surface looks like a huge potato chip covered in green felt. As I said, bring your mid-iron game, too. While you're at it, better bring your putting!
Friend, this is one of the purest tests of golf you will ever experience. It has regularly been voted the best golf course in the United Kingdom--and in the land where golf was invented and where there are more great golf courses per square mile than anywhere in the world, that's saying something. It is truly a fabulous layout and absolutely worth the play. Golf Nook Scotland rating - HOLE-IN-ONE Miscellaneous Notes - The course is open to visitors on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Write (yes, a real letter, not an e-mail) or send a fax to the attention of Anne McCarthy. (See below for address and fax number.) You must send Anne the names of all the players in your group, with each player's handicap and his or her home club. (Men need a handicap of 18, women 20.) She also needs the date you want to reserve and an alternate date if your original request is not available. Reservations open May 1st for the next year. Reservations are for twosomes and foursomes only, with a limit of 12 players requested at any one time. Singles and 3 balls cannot be reserved. Payment must be made in full a few months before tee times. Anne will let you know about this after you contact her. Do yourself a favor and include all the info she needs, otherwise your request will be delayed and you may miss out on the time you requested.
c/o Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers Muirfield, Duncur Road East Lothian, EH31 2EG SCOTLAND Tel: (0)1620 842123 (From the USA dial as follows: 011 44 1620 842123) Fax: (0)1620842977 (From the USA dial as follows: 011 44 1620 842977) Green fees for 2005: £120 for 18 holes, £150 for all day. Caddies are available. Tee times for visitors are between 8:30 and 9:50 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appropriate dress is expected on the course. Jackets and ties are worn in the clubhouse. The Secretary's Promise To You Alastair Brown is Muirfield's new Secretary. He has the ultimate responsibility for keeping members, staff and visitors happy, and keeping the golf course looking and playing at its best. Quite a job, as you can imagine. I frankly don't know how he does it but he obviously does it well because Muirfield has again been voted best golf course in the UK! I was impressed with Alastair's basic philosophy. He told me, "I would like anyone who plays at Muirfield to have the best golfing day of their life." Alastair and his staff and the members themselves do all they can to make the visitors feel welcome. Forget what you heard about Muirfield being stuffy and standfoffish. The members love the game of golf and come here to play golf. If you love the game and you are their guest, they will treat you graciously and with respect. Some other ramblings - Alastair and I both agreed that those who come to Scotland to play as many golf courses in the shortest amount of time do themselves a great disservice. Rather than savor the experience of playing one of the greatest golf courses in the world, some will play Muirfield then rush off to play St. Andrews or North Berwick or Gullane on the same day, not giving any of these fine golf courses time to settle into their consciousness. He suggests coming to Muirfield and playing a round in the morning, have a leisurely lunch, then play another round here in the afternoon. In that way you immerse yourself into a more holistic experience, making it a day of golf you will never forget. And Mary-Alice and I urge you to do this too so that you have the opportunity to interract with the Scottish people, whom we like so much. (After all, you've just got to love any country where the men wear kilts and throw telephone poles for fun and people are able to make beautiful musical sounds come out of a pig's bladder!) Scorecard
Alastair Brown, Secretary Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers Muirfield, Duncur Road East Lothian, EH31 2EG SCOTLAND (0)1620 843600 alastairbrown@muirfield.org.uk Directions - Muirfield is in the town of Gullane, which is only a few minutes drive west from North Berwick. If you are not based in North Berwick (which is actually the best location for this area), and are coming from Edinburgh, follow signs for Berwick-Upon-Tweed to route A1 (south). Continue on A1 to A198--sign post North Berwick. You'll pass through the lovely towns of Longniddry, Aberlady and Gullane. Just as you leave Gullane you'll see a sign on the left for Greywalls Hotel (there is no sign for Muirfield). Make a left and go straight ahead for a few hundred yards. You've arrived! _______________________________________________________ What To Do All Day In addition to the many wonderful places to visit and things to do on the Golf Coast (the East Lothian area), there is one very special place right adjacent to Muirfield Golf Course. If you like gardens and appreciate English garden history, visit Greywalls.
Greywalls is a lovely Edwardian manor house style hotel designed by the renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and overlooks Muirfield Golf Course. Visit the gardens, created by the famous Gertrude Jekyll, who worked with Lutyens. We got caught in a thunderstorm in the gardens and had to take refuge in a small greenhouse, where the head gardener chatted with us and told us about the gardens while we waited for the storm to subside. In the safety and beauty of the greenhouse with the wind and rain lashing all about us, it turned out to be a very special and unforgettable experience. Even if you are not a garden connoisseur, you will appreciate the beauty here. |
