A side-road in Gullane

The approach to Muirfield is discrete. There is none of the pomp and circumstance of Turnberry, or even the understated charm of Prestwick. This is a side-road. There is a sign to the Archerfield Estate and one for The Greywalls Hotel, but nothing more. For those who know, however, a golfing paradise awaits at the end of the road.

We were transported to the course by our local driver, Brian. Clearly this was not a regular destination, as we ended up in front of the large black gates and no one seemed to know what to do next. Fortunately, a helpful steward came out to explain that we could go no further in the taxi. We soon found out why – 20 yards beyond the gates lie the hallowed Muirfield turf. We had arrived.

There is always a slight air of apprehension on arrival at a private course like this. I am always particularly nervous as it is usually me who organised the trip. What happens if we break an unwritten rule or unintentionally offend the stewards? No such problem here. We were immediately welcomed into the club like new members.

The only slight issue was that they had changed our tee time … without telling me. I had always planned to be early, but this meant that there was almost no time for a warm-up. They rushed through the introductions and the orientation. We had 10mins for a quick run on the putting green and then we should be on the tee to meet our caddies. Caddies? Yes, we would have a local to carry our bag, guide us round and clean our clubs. Will come back to that in due course …

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers

So, we were playing at Muirfield, but that is just the name of the course. This is the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest organised club in existence. The HCEG dates back to 1744 and had a slightly itinerant beginning. The company began their time playing at the Leith links, but moved onto Musselburgh when the course became too crowded. The same issue happened at Musselburgh and so they started to look for an alternative location.

The owners of the Archerfield Estate put just over 100 acres of land on the market and in 1891 the company completed the purchase. Old Tom Morris was commissioned to lay out the original course and created 16 holes. They were initially restricted by the old stone walls which enclosed the course, but there was just enough space to add 2 more holes. Having expanded to a full 18 hole course, the top players in the UK competed for The Open a year later in 1892.

The course was popular, but the competitors continued to raise various issues with the routing. The company acquired a further 13 acres in 1907 to address some of these concerns. It became clear that more land was required to resolve matters properly and they managed to add another 50 acres in 1923. At this time, Harry Colt was the leading course architect and he answered the call to help. His redesign of the course gives us the routing we enjoy today.

Colt’s loops of 9

As anyone who has played Muirfield will know, it is a curious but clever routing. The front nine holes take you around the edge of the property in a clockwise loop. The back nine reverse direction and sit within the front nine. The constant but small changes of direction mean that no two holes are ever played with the same wind. This is both challenging and rewarding. It also has the advantage over the “out-and-back” designed links that you do not have 9 holes constantly hitting into the wind!

It is partly for this reason that the pros regard Muirfield as the fairest test on The Open rota. This is a well-varied routing and it ensures that the wind exerts its influence from numerous angles. Not only does the course cover the extent of the property, it also has a different visual challenge on every hole.

Martin Hawtree carried out a few additional changes to the course in 2010/2011, but it remains a course which Colt would recognise. The back tees extend the length of the course to 7,245 yards which is more than enough distance given the other hazards.

The visitor experience

Anyway, enough of that. Back to the club, the course and today’s competition.

The HCEG offer two days for visitors – Tuesday and Thursday. It is, therefore, not easy to get a tee time. Things have become a little easier over the past two years, as the usual crowd of Americans have not been able to visit. Talking to the caddies, they reckoned that as many as 80% of the visitors are from the US. This might have something to do with the chunky fees that are payable (and the more reasonable deals on offer this year). There is still quite a divide between the amount that it is considered acceptable to pay for golf in Europe vs the US. But that is a debate for another day …

There are two options for your visit to Muirfield – play 18 holes or play 36 holes. “Cake or death?” “Err … cake please.” The company allow a change in their usual playing pattern so that visitors can play their own ball in the morning round. This reverts to foursomes (alternate shot) in the afternoon. This is, to my mind, the perfect way to play 36 holes over the same course in one day. I love playing my own ball, but I think foursomes is a really great format.

Between the golf, the guest experience continues in the dining room. This is usually a traditional jacket and tie affair, but due to the COVID regs in Scotland when we played we just had to change our shoes. They also had rather strange perspex screens to divide a group of four. It didn’t detract from the experience. My only regret was that we didn’t have more time to explore the wine list …

Competition time

As I mentioned above, we had caddies. This was incredible and a real treat. As the avid reader will have know, I arranged this trip for my 40th birthday, and so the caddies were a birthday present from my playing partners. I would thoroughly recommend the experience and, if you are interested in your score, they are absolutely invaluable.

I had devised a friendly competition for the weekend with points on offer across matchplay and Stableford formats. For Muirfield, we played Stableford in the morning and foursomes matchplay in the afternoon. This worked particularly well with the caddies, as for the morning round we each talked more with our bag-man than we did with each other! That is possibly the only downside to the caddy experience – I really enjoyed getting to know Richard but it did mean less time talking to the others.

I don’t propose to take you through the entire round (as much as anything, this happened in May and I can barely remember the shots I played!), but here are my thoughts on the holes and a few highlights.

Hole 1

The first hole runs gently from left to right. The easiest way to approach the green is from the left side of the fairway. Consequently, there are three penal sets of bunkers from 225 yards to 360 yards on the left side. The rough is thick on the right and an approach from this angle brings two of the green-side bunkers into play. If you are going to miss, short left is the best option, but even here you will be playing up to the green from a shallow swale. The green is not as flat as it looks. If the pin is towards the back, beware of being too aggressive as you can easily catch the slope and end up off the green.

At just over 400 yards from the daily tees, this is a strong opening hole. I followed my caddy’s advice and hit up the left side. I was a little further left than he had hoped for, but I had skirted the bunker and had a reasonable lie in the rough. My approach came up just short on the left edge and I chipped into the middle of the green. A comfortable two-putt resulted in a fairly uneventful bogey. One hole done and the first tee nerves had now abated.

Hole 2

The second hole is shorter than the first, but poses a different set of challenges. The outer perimeter stone wall comes into play on the second shot and provides a decorative frame to the hole from the tee. At around 350 yards, it is the shortest par four on the front nine. The tee shot is easier than the approach, however. The further back you play, the wider the fairway, though you are lucky if you get a flat stance.

Four pot-bunkers flank the right side of the green and the left edge is guarded by the wall. There is a ridge that runs along the left side which will feed your ball back on to the green or towards the wall, depending on your luck!

Hole 3

The dunes come into play for the first time on the par 4 3rd hole. This hole has one of several perfect green sites. Again, it is not long, and, like the second, this is all about the approach shot.

The ideal line from which you approach the green is on the left/middle side of the fairway. Too far right and you will have no view of the green with your second. There is a bunker on the right of the fairway that will collect a sliced tee shot that stalls in the prevailing wind.

The green lies behind two tall dunes which pinch into the fairway at about 300 yards. The best way to access the green is to fly the ball all the way to the hole. This, however, brings into play the penal pot-bunkers surrounding the green. A more traditional approach, would be to bump the ball between the mounds and run it into the middle of the green. If you take this option, beware the false front which will reject anything that has run out of pace.

Hole 4

The short holes at Muirfield are majestic. The 4th plays into the prevailing wind and so be prepared to take an extra club (or two). Today, the hole is 185 yards away and Richard confidently tells me that I should allow at least 200 yards. I launch a 5-wood into the wind which holds its line and lands softly into the middle of the green. I hadn’t appreciated that the green is a full 40 yards front to back, and with a back-left pin, I still had a lengthy putt … or as it transpired 3!

The green itself is long and relatively narrow. If you miss on either side, there are bunkers at the front and steep run-offs at the back.

Hole 5

The first par 3 is followed immediately by the first par 5. This hole stretches out to over 560 yards from the back tees as it sweeps up the hill. The views here are amazing as you look out across the Firth of Forth towards the Fife coastline. Getting the ball to the hole is, however, difficult.

The prevailing wind coming from the water is towards you and from the left. This pushes any weak tee shots towards the collection of 5 bunkers that start at 170 yards and run through to 260 yards on the right edge of the fairway. A huge trench bunker protects the ideal landing area if you decide (or have) to lay up. The green sweeps from right to left and is on a slight plateau as the high-point of the hole. No fewer than 4 pot bunkers and 2 trench bunkers offer protection all around.

The wind, unusually was coming from the right. This took the right-side bunkers out of play and meant I could hold it up into the breeze. A confident drive up the left middle which left me about 260 up the hill. Richard handed me a 5-iron and told me to put it just right of the trench. I obliged. A wedge into the middle of the green and a curling 30-footer holed for birdie. Easy game …

Hole 6

This is the half way point of the outward loop and in theory you should have the opposite wind direction from the 2nd. If you are playing into the wind it is a particularly tough hole. Today, we had no help and, whilst it was not windy, the breeze was into our faces. At nearly 440 yards, there was no chance that any of us were making it in two.

This is the first hole with a proper dog-leg, which moves from right to left. The old perimeter wall cuts across the hole at about 290 yards. It sits on the high part of the hole, with the fairway rolling and undulating from about 270 yards out for the remainder of the hole.

As ever, there are bunkers which protect the ideal landing area. This certainly makes you think twice about cutting the corner (especially if you haven’t got a reliable draw in your repertoire). The further right you go, you get a better approach angle, but are further away.

At 44 yards long and almost as wide, this is the largest green on the course. Most of the ridges feed the ball towards the middle of the green, but beware the false front. This feeds anything short back off the green and towards the large pot-bunker front right.

Hole 7

The second par 3 plays back up the hill and in almost the opposite direction to the 6th. We therefore had the wind helping as we aimed at this tricky green. The hole is the shortest on the scorecard, but can still play longer than the 13th (depending on the wind).

There are three bunkers on the left side of the green offering protection. The back two have a slight ridge running between them and the green which will feed the ball back towards the centre of the putting surface. This does, however, make it much more difficult to stop the ball if you are trying to escape from one of the bunkers!

The green has a steep slope starting about 9 yards on that will push anything short back off by 10-20 yards. There are two further ridges on the right side of the green all of which feed the ball back towards the middle (and the front slope). All in all not an easy hole!

Hole 8

There are 12 bunkers on the 8th hole, 5 of which are in play off the tee. To my eye, only one of these was actually visible from the tee box. It is wonderfully designed and even when you can see the bunkers they play tricks on you. Colt was particularly good at using bunkers to deceive the player into thinking that the hole is either further away or closer than it appeared. This hole is a great example.

When the course has a slope rating of 139 you know that it is going to be hard. The hole designated stroke index 1 will therefore be at least one shot harder than its attributed par. This was definitely the case here and we had what was now a stiff breeze in our faces as well.

So, if you can avoid the bunkers with your tee shot, you then have to take on the second set with your approach. The rough was also particularly thick here. Anything left was gobbled up and balls were lost even when only 4 or 5 yards off the fairway. The only saving grace is that the hole plays slightly downhill, which means that if you can clear the large curved trench bunker that is about 35 yards short of the green, you may be able to run your ball on.

Mercifully, once you get to the green it is relatively straightforward. Anything at the front will feed into the middle, but be careful not to go too close to the bunkers on either side. Once past the bunkers, the ball feeds off into two shallow swales on either side.

Hole 9

The 9th is one of the finest 3-shotters in championship golf. There is a double dog-leg that creates a slight “S” shape as you wind between numerous bunkers. As with the 8th, there is a hidden set of 5 bunkers protecting the approach to the green. I had no idea why my caddy was sending me so far left with my second, but as soon as I got up there I understood. If you can’t go for the green in two, the play is almost away from the green and towards the old stone wall. This takes all of the remaining bunkers out of play.

Anyway, at just over 500 yards, this is certainly a hole where you could be looking to get home in two if the wind is helping. To achieve this, you will need to take on the trench bunker on the left edge of the fairway and ideally pass it on the right. If you can’t reach in two, then go as far right as you dare, hopefully taking out the pot-bunker between 220-230 yards.

The green slopes severely from left to right. If you are up the right side, you are best placed to run the ball on. Make sure that you land it sufficiently far off, however, as the slope will take anything at pace off to the back right (or worse into the front right bunker). If you are comfortable flying the ball over the bunkers, then an approach from the right side will at least have you playing into the upslope.

Hole 10

The back nine, like the front nine, starts with a long and then a short par 4. These two holes also play in nearly the same direction.

Starting away from the clubhouse, the 10th stretches to 470 yards. It is slightly easier from the daily tees, but at 430 yards it is still no pushover. The bunkers which line the right side of the fairway are again designed to punish a “slice”. Classic Colt.

Two deep cross-bunkers run the width of the fairway at about 350 yards. They do not appear to be in play, and for most they won’t be. If the wind is behind you and the fairways running fast, these could easily collect an otherwise stellar tee shot. Equally, your second shot can easily be caught by them if you are into the wind or playing your second from any of the hazards.

The green slopes from back to front and anything right will feed towards the two deep pot-bunkers. If you are going to miss, short-left would be the option giving you an easy pitch straight up the green.

Hole 11

This is the only blind shot on the course (or at least the only one which is intentionally so!). The hole measures around 350 yards and so is, on paper, a good scoring opportunity. You must trust pick a line and trust it as you fire over the dunes. There is more space right than left, but there are also more bunkers.

The ideal line between the marker post and the edge of the fairway on the right side. Play this with a little draw and you will be pleased with the result. The green is small (only 28 yards front to back) and shaped like a pear-drop. There are four bunkers on the left, three behind and two on the right. The contours feed into the middle from the left and back, and off to the right from the middle. There is a slight false front as well (if you needed more to worry about). Anyway, the best place to miss is short.

Hole 12

Another short(-ish) par 4 follows and it is an absolute beauty. There is nothing blind about this one, as the hole unfolds before you. The ideal tee shot will be played up the left, but you need to be careful not to allow it to run out too far. A trench bunker runs across at about 260 yards from the tee on the left side. This protects the best angle from which to approach the green, as there are 5 bunkers flanking the right edge.

The green itself is quite narrow and lies at the foot of a decent slope. This means that you will likely need to land the ball short and run it on. There is quite a steep slope which runs from back left to front right and pushes everything towards the bunkers. You do not want to leave yourself above the hole on this green.

Hole 13

The signature par 3 is another in a stellar run of golf holes. This is a classic use of the natural landscape with the green sitting on a plateau amid the dunes. There is a deadly set of pot-bunkers which all lie below the peaks of the dunes. Anything which misses either left or right automatically feeds into the sand.

Remarkably, I missed in almost exactly the same place in the morning and afternoon. How the ball stayed between the two bunkers on the left, twice, I will never know!

There is a steep slope at the front of the green and anything short will be sent back down away from the green. The green itself also has a slope from back to front. Anything on the left side will feed off the slope in front of the front bunker to the middle of the green.

Hole 14

The 14th and 15th holes are solid golf holes, but are probably the least memorable on the course. They both play towards the left side of the course and the 15th green is next to the 3rd green. It is interesting looking back at the pictures now and the routing to see how many front 9 greens are next to those on the back 9. At the time, I do not remember that they were so close … perhaps I was concentrating on following Richard’s instructions?

Anyway, back to the course. The 14th has a slight dog-leg from right to left. Ideally, you should aim up the right side, which takes the cluster of bunkers on the left (230-270 yards) out of play. This also provides the best approach to a relatively small green.

The green has two distinct tiers, with a ridge running almost across the middle that feeds the ball back toward the front right. The main protection is a large bunker also on the front right.

Hole 15

This hole mirrors the 14th and has a dog-leg from left to right. There are 13 bunkers to negotiate here and so you will need to be accurate with both tee shot and approach. Take a minute to make sure that you have located the bunkers before hitting your tee shot. Again, there are 5 potentially in play (depending on the wind), none of which are visible from the tee box.

The bunkers around the green are a little more obvious. There is a centre-line bunker situated 30 yards in front of the green means you will have to fly the ball all of the way to the green. Aim for the middle of the green, as the contours on each side will feed your ball towards the bunkers.

Hole 16

The finishing stretch takes in a par 3, par 5 and then par 4. It is one of the finest in championship golf.

The clubhouse comes back into view as you turn to take on the 16th. This is a medium length par 3 which has a wickedly undulating green and 7 bunkers. 4 small pot bunkers and a narrow trench bunker await anything which doesn’t reach the putting surface. Two further bunkers will collect a shot which is long right.

There is a deep swale at the front of the green which hides some of the bunkers. The green generally slopes from back to front, so you can afford to go up a club.

Hole 17

At just over 500 yards from the weekly tees, this should present a chance to go at the green in two. As ever, though, this is hugely dependent on the wind. The one thing not to do is to get caught in the cross-bunkers which are about 100 yards short of the green.

The hole is a sweeping dog-leg from right to left that almost turns a full 90 degrees. A swathe of bunkers protect the left side of the fairway from 190 yards to 290 yards. A shot up the right side takes the bunkers out of play, but extends the length of the hole dramatically. Again, this really calls for a running draw … not something I have in my locker!

Three huge cross-bunkers protect the approach, with a further bunker on the right side collecting anything sliced or pushed. For the amateur this takes risk and reward to a new level – the question is not whether or not to go for the green, but rather whether or not to lay-up in front or over the bunkers!

To attack or lay-up?

Today, I followed Richard’s advice (he had seen enough to know that I could not make the 190 yard carry into the wind). There is a dip in front of the cross-bunkers which makes them look closer than they are. You have to trust your yardage and commit, otherwise you end up being even further back than you needed to be!

There is a huge landing area in front of the green, but the entrance to it is guarded by two further bunkers. These are set into the dunes and are consequently extremely deep. The green itself is relatively flat , with a few slopes coming off the surrounding dunes.

Hole 18

Much like Royal Lytham, the closing hole requires an accurate tee shot and the further up you go the straighter you need to be. There is the obligatory cluster of bunkers to collet a tee shot which is too aggressive or feathered into the wind. The landing area looks very small from the tee box and only the left side bunkers are properly visible.

If you negotiate the tee shot, the approach really calls for a draw into another fairly narrow green. The ideal approach will take you around the bunkers on the left centre. This allows you to run the ball through a small channel and stop it into the slope. The green runs back to front, with the exception of a small ridge running across the back right section.

I went rather further left than Richard had hoped. I was fortunate to end up on the path between the 10th and 18th. My question of whether or not there would be a reasonable line in from there was met with a simple “no”. Anyway, I managed to get myself to the front right edge in 3 and was happy to settle for a bogey 5. Very pleasingly, I had been plotted round in 87 – giving me 38 points for the competition. For once a comfortable victory!