Muirfield facts for kids
 
The Open at Muirfield in July 2013
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| Club information | |
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| Location | Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland |
| Established | 1744 (1891) |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | Golf:18 |
| Tournaments hosted | The Open Championship The Amateur Senior Open Championship |
| Website | http://muirfield.org.uk |
| Designed by | Tom Morris Sr. |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,245 yards (6,625 m) |
| Course rating | 73 |
Muirfield is a very famous private golf course located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. It sits right next to the Firth of Forth, which is a large bay. This course is the home of a special group called The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.
Muirfield is one of the important golf courses chosen to host The Open Championship, which is one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world. Many famous golfers have played here and won, including Phil Mickelson in 2013. Other champions include Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player.
This course has hosted The Open Championship sixteen times! It has also been the site for other major events like The Amateur Championship (ten times), the Ryder Cup in 1973, and the Women’s British Open in 2022.
Muirfield has a unique design compared to many other golf courses by the sea, called "links courses." Most links courses go out along the coast and then come back. This means the wind often blows in the same direction for many holes. But Muirfield is different! It has two loops of nine holes. One loop goes clockwise, and the other goes anti-clockwise. This clever design means that golfers face the wind from different directions on almost every hole, making the game more challenging and exciting.
Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers ever, won his first Open Championship at Muirfield in 1966. This win helped him achieve his first career "Grand Slam" in golf, which means winning all four major championships. Nicklaus loved Muirfield so much that he called it "the best golf course in Britain." He even named a golf course he designed in Ohio, USA, "Muirfield Village" in its honor.
Muirfield has also been a tough challenge for golfers trying to win the Grand Slam. In 1972, Jack Nicklaus almost won his second major of the year here but was beaten by Lee Trevino. In 2002, Tiger Woods faced very strong winds and rain, which made it difficult for him to win.
Contents
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers: A Club with History
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who now play at Muirfield, is believed to be the oldest organized golf club in the world. Golf itself is much older, but this club has continuous records going all the way back to 1744!
In 1744, the club created thirteen "Rules of Golf" for its very first competition. This competition was played at a place called Leith Links for a prize called the "Silver Club." The first winner was John Rattray, who also signed the rules and became the club's first captain.
For nearly a hundred years, the club played on the five holes at Leith Links. But as golf became more popular, the course got too crowded. So, in 1836, the club moved to Musselburgh Links. This was a 9-hole public course, but it also eventually became too busy for the club members.
In 1891, the club decided to build its own private 18-hole course at Muirfield. They even brought The Open Championship with them to their new home. Old Tom Morris, a famous golf course designer, created the new Muirfield course. It was an instant hit and has been updated a few times over the years. The first Open held at Muirfield in 1892 was special because it was the first time any golf tournament was played over four rounds, or 72 holes.
Changes to Membership Rules
For a long time, only men could be full members of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Women were allowed to play the course as guests, but they couldn't become members. This rule caused a lot of discussion and was seen as unfair by many.
In 2016, the club held a vote to change this rule. However, they didn't get enough votes to make the change at that time. Because of this, The R&A (the organization that runs The Open Championship) decided that Muirfield would not be able to host The Open anymore. This was a big disappointment for the club and the local area.
After this, the club voted again in March 2017. This time, they decided to allow women to become members. This was a big step forward! In August 2022, Muirfield proudly hosted the Women's British Open for the very first time, showing its commitment to being a more inclusive club.
Muirfield Course Details
The Muirfield course is 7,245 yards long and has a par of 71. This means a professional golfer is expected to complete the course in 71 strokes.
Here's a quick look at the course layout:
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 450 | 367 | 379 | 229 | 561 | 469 | 187 | 445 | 558 | 3,645 | 472 | 389 | 382 | 193 | 478 | 447 | 188 | 578 | 473 | 3,600 | 7,245 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
The length of the course has changed slightly over the years for The Open Championship:
- 2013: 7,192 yards, par 71
- 2002: 7,034 yards, par 71
- 1992: 6,970 yards, par 71
- 1987: 6,963 yards, par 71
- 1980: 6,926 yards, par 71
- 1972: 6,892 yards, par 71
- 1966: 6,887 yards, par 71
- 1959: 6,806 yards, par 72
The Open Championship at Muirfield
Muirfield first hosted The Open Championship in 1892 and has welcomed the tournament 16 times. The most recent Open here was in 2013.
| Year | Winner | Score | Winner's Prize (£) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | |||
| 1892 |  Harold Hilton (a) 1st |
78 | 81 | 72 | 74 | 305 | (am) |
| 1896 |  Harry Vardon 1st |
83 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 316 PO | 30 |
| 1901 |  James Braid 1st |
79 | 76 | 74 | 80 | 309 | 30 |
| 1906 | James Braid 3rd |
77 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 300 | 30 |
| 1912 | Ted Ray |
71 | 73 | 76 | 75 | 295 | 50 |
| 1929 |  Walter Hagen 4th |
75 | 67 | 75 | 75 | 292 (+12) | 100 |
| 1935 | Alf Perry |
69 | 75 | 67 | 72 | 283 (−5) | 100 |
| 1948 | Henry Cotton 3rd |
71 | 66 | 75 | 72 | 284 (E) | 150 |
| 1959 |  Gary Player 1st |
75 | 71 | 70 | 68 | 284 (−4) | 1,000 |
| 1966 |  Jack Nicklaus 1st |
70 | 67 | 75 | 70 | 282 (−2) | 2,100 |
| 1972 | Lee Trevino 2nd |
71 | 70 | 66 | 71 | 278 (−6) | 5,500 |
| 1980 | Tom Watson 3rd |
68 | 70 | 64 | 69 | 271 (−13) | 25,000 |
| 1987 | Nick Faldo 1st |
68 | 69 | 71 | 71 | 279 (−5) | 75,000 |
| 1992 | Nick Faldo 3rd |
66 | 64 | 69 | 73 | 272 (−12) | 95,000 |
| 2002 |  Ernie Els 1st |
70 | 66 | 72 | 70 | 278 (−6)PO | 700,000 |
| 2013 | Phil Mickelson |
69 | 74 | 72 | 66 | 281 (−3) | 945,000 |
- Note: The number next to the winner's name (like 1st) shows how many times they had won The Open Championship in their career up to that point.
- (a) means the winner was an amateur (not a professional golfer).
The Senior British Open at Muirfield
The Senior British Open Championship is for older professional golfers. Muirfield hosted this tournament in 2007.
| Year | Winner | Score | Winner's Prize (£) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | |||
| 2007 | Tom Watson 3rd |
70 | 71 | 70 | 73 | 284 (E) | 157,800 |
The Women's British Open at Muirfield
The Women's British Open is one of the biggest tournaments for women professional golfers. Muirfield hosted it for the first time in 2022.
| Year | Winner | Score | Winner's Prize ($) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | |||
| 2022 | Ashleigh Buhai |
70 | 65 | 64 | 75 | 274 (−10)PO | 1,095,000 |
See also
- Golf in Scotland
