Muirfield Golf Course: Review, Tee Times and Key Information

Muirfield Golf Course Key Information

Muirfield is one of the very finest golfing layouts in the UK and Ireland and the East Lothian Links has once again ranked in the top five of the Golf Monthly Top 100 golf courses UK&I rankings.

Despite strong competition, it is comfortably one of the best golf courses in Scotland and sits proudly at the top of the list of the best golf courses in East Lothian.

The layout at Muirfield is unusual for a Scottish links as it plays in two loops. The front nine skirts the perimeter in a clockwise direction before the 10th leads into the heart of the course and the inner loop, played in a largely anti-clockwise direction.

The routing means the golfer will never face a succession of holes with a consistent wind direction. It’s one of the characteristics that I think makes Muirfield such a wonderfully fair test of golf.

It’s simply a fabulous design providing a stringent examination of every aspect of the game, both physical and mental. For me, this is the fairest Open test of all, with everything laid out in front of you.

Although the ground is undulating, there’s only one blind shot (from the 11th tee,) Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1966 Open at Muirfield, summed it up when he said, “What you see is what you get.”

The fairways are beautifully designed, the hazards perfectly placed and the playing surfaces always maintained in optimum condition.

The run for home is extremely tough with par a particularly good score at the two challenging par 3s, the 13th and 16th. The par-5 17th provides a birdie chance though, and the opportunity for drama right at the end of a round. In the 2013 Open Championship, Phil Mickelson struck two mighty blows onto the green to secure the win.

The Open Championship has visited Muirfield on 16 occasions and the East Lothian links has been the scene of some of the most thrilling instalments of golf’s greatest tournament. Muirfield's list of Open champions really is a who's who of golf, including Harold Hilton, Harry Vardon, James Braid, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson. It also played host to the AIG Women's Open for the first time in 2022, an event won in thrilling style by Ashleigh Buhai in near darkness, on the fourth hole of a playoff.

Muirfield is the home of the The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which is considered to be the oldest golf club in the world. The HCEG dates all the way back to 7th March 1744 and made the move from Leith and then Musselburgh to Muirfield in 1891.

I think the experience of visiting Muirfield is quite something. The lunches are famous and the refurbished clubhouse is exceptional.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…

Andrew Oliver

This is everything I look for in a golf course but very rarely have I found it. I felt a warmness in the welcome which might have been lacking previously, a glorious sense of occasion (which I happily donned Jacket and Tie to fully experience) and a golf course I instantly wanted to play again.

Gavyn Cairns

On a good day, this is an unsurpassable links experience; potentially ethereal. Post round, the view from the panoramic gentleman’s lounge bar was simply magnificent. The ‘cow shed’ parking, the iconic and majestic clubhouse, the awe inspiring links layout as well as the ‘lunch’ at Muirfied, all combine to yield one of the best experiences in golf.

Tim Browne

I have played here many times over the last 30+ years and I think the anticipation of a visit to Muirfield, the occasion as such, is always with you. The combination of a fabulous golf course that is such a fair and challenging test of golf along with a world famous lunch in the historic clubhouse is a winning and rewarding experience.

Muirfield Golf Course Location

Muirfield Golf Course Scorecard

Best Courses Near To Muirfield

GULLANE NO. 1

Interesting and unusual links played over a hill with excellent greens. The course begins on the very edge of the town of Gullane before forging uphill towards the high point at the 6th and 7th holes where the views down to Aberlady Bay and beyond are spellbinding.

NORTH BERWICK WEST LINKS

A stunning setting for golf over a characterful piece of testing yet fun links land. The West Links is a largely a traditional out and back links with the sea in play on six holes. It’s quirky with walls running through fairways, raised greens, sunken greens, unusual greens like the two-part 16th and just brilliant greens like that on the much-copied 15th “Redan.”

Best Places To Stay Near Muirfield

Greywalls Hotel - Book now at Booking.com
The ultimate in convenience for Muirfield, the elegant, Edwardian Greywalls hotel sits right on the edge of the course. With views across to the Firth of Forth, it's a luxurious hotel and the onsite Chez Roux restaurant provides excellent cuisine.

The Bonnie Badger - Book now at Booking.com
Set on the main street in Gullane, the Bonnie Badger is a characterful but classy hotel offering very comfortable accommodation plus an excellent bar and restaurant. It's walking distance from both Muirfield and Gullane.

Muirfield Golf Course Gallery

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Muirfield Golf Course Expert Opinions

JEZZ ELLWOOD - GOLF MONTHLY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Everything is laid out in front of you – save perhaps for the 6th hole and the blind drive on 11 – with the course relying on clever design rather than flashy trickery to test a player’s mettle. Your undoing or success lies entirely in your own hands – if you hit it in the right place you will be rewarded with an easier follow-up shot; if you hit it in the wrong place, appropriate punishment is meted out in the form of a tougher approach or chip. Yet the course is inherently fair – where a big hole demands a big hit, the landing area will be suitably generous; where the hole is more a test of strategy and placement than brute force, the target will be narrower.

ROB SMITH - GOLF MONTHLY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

I played Muirfield and both the welcome and, of course, the famous lunch were first-class. This superb, flowing, expansive links is absolutely packed with exquisite bunkering and brilliant greens and is an absolute must play. The course floats on the top of the crème-de-la-crème of British golf.

Muirfield Golf Course Historical Top 100 Ranking UK&I

• 2025/26 - 4
• 2023/24 - 4
• 2021/22 - 3
• 2019/20 - 3
• 2017/18 - 2
• 2015/16 - 1
• 2013/14 - 1
• 2011/12 - 1
• 2009/10 - 1

Muirfield Golf Course Frequently Asked Questions