The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers

Duncur Rd,

Gullane, East Lothian EH31 2EG

  • Office

    +44 (0)1620 842 123
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1620 842 123
  • Fax

    +44 (0)1620 842 977
  • Golf pro

    None

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Seaside links. Relatively flat terrain - easy to walk.

  • Surroundings:

    Coastal duneland and rural countryside.

  • Designer:

    Original course on this site was laid out by Old Tom Morris (1891). Later modifications by Harry Colt and Tom Simpson (1928).

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
7034
6673
5983
Par
71
70
76
SSS or slope
73
73
76

Location

Latitude:

56.042045

Longitude:

-2.821357

How to get there:

19 miles NE of Edinburgh

From the A1/A720 (city ring road) interchange (Old Craighall Junction) east of Edinburgh, travel east on the A1 direction Berwick-upon-Tweed. After 4.5 miles turn off the A1 at the Bankton Junction. Follow the A198 direction North Berwick. After 10 miles (just after the village of Gullane and the Scottish Fire Service Training School) turn right at "Greywalls" sign. Golf car park is 200 yards on your right.

Muirfield - Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers

5-PLUS: In the world’s elite - has few peers; one of our top-rated 5s!

Est. 1744

Muirfield, home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, provides one of the finest tests of links golf anywhere in the world. If you can secure a tee-time and pass through The Honourable Company's sturdy entrance gates, one of your most memorable rounds of golf awaits.

The magic of Muirfield lies partly in the understated simplicity of its layout. A clockwise front-nine loop encircles an anti-clockwise inward-nine, with no water ditches, streams (burns) or ponds to worry about. The complete absence of water hazards is perhaps surprising. Shortly after the course opened for play, St Andrews professional Andrew Kirkcaldy described it as "nothing but an auld water meddie".

Although water hazards may not be present, there are more ball-grabbing pot bunkers here than you'd care to count, and deeper fescues than you'd care to measure. When the wind blows, the firm good-width fairways will look quite a bit tighter, and the rough closer and deeper. After a first outing at Muirfield, you'll realise there's actually a bit more space to work the ball than at first appears. Blind shots are rare, although the par-4 11th requires a drive where you take dead aim at a marker pole, and then trust your swing.

Muirfield's sand dunes, although not as towering as on some links courses, still produce a classically undulating links layout, over which your game is both challenged and rewarded. From almost every hole there are picturesque views across the glorious Firth of Forth to the hills of Fife. Always immaculately presented, the quiet tranquillity of Muirfield is broken only by the chattering of skylarks, and the swish of fescues stirred by the sea breeze.

List of courses: Home of Golf

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on Tues and Thurs.

Must book well in advance (can be done via Muirfield's website). Minimum age: 16 yrs. Maximum handicap: 18 (men and women). Proof of handicap required. Women may only play if accompanied by a man.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (Jan thru' Oct): £325 (Tues & Thur only); £495 two rounds on the same day (includes lunch).

Contact club for full details. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Muirfield is a walking course. Caddies available if requested in advance. Two golf carts available if required for medical reasons. Lunch can be taken if pre-booked; gentlemen must wear jacket & tie, ladies smart-casual non-golf clothes.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is often cited as the world's oldest golf club, a claim backed-up by Club records that go back to 1744, although Royal Burgess (1735) and Royal Blackheath (1608) also lay claim to this title. It was in 1744 that the Company's first significant event was held, in which players competed for a prized silver club. The original thirteen Rules of Golf (the Leith code) were written for this event.

Originally called the Company of Edinburgh Golfers, in 1795 the Club applied to the City of Edinburgh authorities for a Charter. This was granted in 1800 together with the new title of 'The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers'. | The Honourable Company moved from its original home (the Leith Links in Edinburgh) in 1836, and moved again in 1891 from its second home (Mussleburgh Links). This second move brought the Company to the Archerfield Estate in Dirleton, and a new 18-hole Tom Morris designed course, called Muirfield.

The name Muirfield derives from the then practice of tenant farmers identifying their fields with a descriptive name. The golf course was built on "muir-field". The Scottish term "muir" (meadow in English), refers to uncultivated land affected by marshy areas. During the 1892 Open Championship held at Muirfield, professional golfer Andrew Kirkcaldy described the relatively new course as "an auld water meddie".

Muirfield has hosted some of the biggest tournaments in golf, including several Open and Amateur Championships, as well as Ryder, Walker and Curtis Cups. For more details view Top Golf Tournaments at Muirfield Golf Club.

Published ranking

Scotland's 3rd best course (Golf World, 2022).
Britain & Ireland's 5th best course (Golf World, 2022).
World's 12th best course (GOLF Magazine, 2023/24) and 6th best public access course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Greywalls Hotel5-star

    Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian EH31 2EG.

    +44 (0)1620 842 144

    Visit website

    Designed by the celebrated architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, Greywalls was built in 1901. Situated on the edge of Muirfield’s championship golf course, this luxury hotel enjoys a reputation for the excellence of its food and service. As well as the elegant drawing rooms and dining areas the house has 23 en suite bedrooms, a walled garden, hard and grass tennis courts, croquet lawn and putting green.The hotel's Chez Roux restaurant offers a blend of classic French cuisine and local Scottish produce.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Muirfield

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Renaissance Club (private); Archerfield (Dirleton & Fidra Links); North Berwick; Glen; Gullane 1, 2 & 3; Luffness New; Craigielaw; Kilspindie.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Longniddry; Royal Musselburgh; Musselburgh Links (Old course); Dunbar.

  • The Open Arms3-star

    Dirleton, East Lothian EH39 5EG

    +44 (0)1620 850 241

    Visit website

    Located opposite 13th century Dirleton Castle, this long established family-run hotel is ideally located to access the many excellent golf courses in East Lothian.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Muirfield; Gullane 1, 2 & 3; Luffness New; Craigielaw; North Berwick; Glen.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Dunbar; Kilspindie; Longniddry; Royal Musselburgh.

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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