Muirfield

THE SECOND PLAYS DOWN TO THE LOWPOINT ON THE PROPERTY – THE GREEN HARD AGAINST THE STONE WALL

THE SIMPLE YET EXCELLENT PAR THREE FOURTH

I had obviously heard great things about this course. One friend who has traveled all over chooses it as his favorite in the world. While I would not go that far, I do believe that it is one of the best I have had the pleasure of playing and easily in the world top 10. I think it has more in common with Shinnecock than the other links courses I played on the trip. The fairways are relatively flat and have very little rumple or small scale contour. The course is very fair which is not a prerequisite for me to like a course, and in fact I often find fair boring and mundane. Where Muirfield shines is the routing. It takes advantage of every aspect of the property and flows seamlessly – one good hole after another.

THE SECOND SHOT AFTER A BLIND TEE SHOT AT THE ELEVENTH (VERY EVOCATIVE OF THE SEVENTEENTH AT YALE)

When you combine the course with the experience – four ball in the AM, an amazing lunch with a few Kummels, and then an foursomes match in the afternoon – and the result is one of the most enjoyable days in my golfing life.

THE SUPERB THIRTEENTH PLAYS TO ONE OF THE LARGER CONTOURS ON PROPERTY

THE HOME HOLE