Muirfield

Muirfield has an unusual layout for a links course. Most links courses run along the coast and then back again leading to two sets of nine holes, the holes in each set facing roughly in the same direction. Muirfield, however, was among the first courses to depart from this arrangement and is arranged as two loops of nine holes, one clockwise, one anticlockwise. This means that, assuming the wind direction remains the same throughout a round, every hole on the course has a different apparent wind direction from the tee. No more than three consecutive holes follow the same direction at any stage.

Today Muirfield is a renowned host to major championships amateur and professional, international and national, men and ladies – all of which have produced worthy champions of whom more later. Eleven Amateur Championships have been played over the course and 16 Open Championships.