A Muirfield view to die for

Muirfield is argued by many respected critics to be the finest golf course in the British Isles and in my view it certainly is a ” true challenge of undramatic fairness.”

There is another aspect of the club that I was reminded about recently, when being invited by our hosts  at lunch, to sit looking out on to the panorama of the course.

Is there a better view from any clubhouse dining room than that of Muirfield, framed by the sparkling shipping lanes of the Firth of Forth and across to the hazy hills of the distant Kingdom of Fife?  Let me know if you can think of one. Remember it is from dining rooms!

Looking in the opposite direction back from the course, to the left of the clubhouse, the beauty of Sir Edwin Lutyens’  ‘Greywalls’ (now an up-market hotel) might be easily overlooked.  Nevertheless it helps lend extra dignity to this the “holiest of holys”, the third home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who were responsible in 1744 for writing the original thirteen rules of golf to guide member’s play.

Greywalls to the left of Muirfield's clubhouse

There is another beautiful Lutyens house near Royal St George’s (which hosts The Open this year in July) at Sandwich in Kent,  called ‘The Salutation’ which  also provides luxury accommodation and is often used by discerning  American golfers.

Both of these famous clubs only allow two-ball play and if any player were to claim that he plays twice as many shots in a fourball game as in foursomes, members of these clubs would instantly reply, ” Well then, play 36 holes in 4.5 hours (as we do) and you will get the same number of shots, twice the exercise, far more fun and you won’t have to wait between shots. Furthermore you will learn to play the game better.”