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.

With the exception of the Championship tees, the course has changed little since 1936 but, in 2008, in conjunction with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, golf architect Martin Hawtree was commissioned to advise the Club on how best to ensure Muirfield remains a challenge to the world’s great golfers.

Visitor days – Tuesdays and Thursdays and booking up to one year in advance is strongly advised!

HISTORY
On March 7th 1744 the Edinburgh Town Council presented a silver club for annual competition by 'The Gentleman Golfers',  In doing so they  required that 'proper regulations' governing conditions of play, be written and the  thirteen Rules of Play were duly produced. Thus was the Company of Edinburgh Golfers created and recorded in the first minutes of the Club which also state that surgeon John Rattray won the Club's first competition In 1795 the Club applied to the Lord Provost, the Magistrates and Council of the City of Edinburgh for a Charter. This was granted on March 26th 1800 together with a Seal of Clause under the new title of 'The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers'. From the outset, the Company was being asked for its opinion and decisions on the Rules of Play and so, in 1775 and again in 1809 the rules were revised and expanded. With many members in common, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews also helped answer those rules questions and, in the late 19th century, The Honourable Company passed over all authority for future changes and decisions on the rules to the R&A.

By 1830, the popularity of the game and subsequent overcrowding at Leith Links, led some Company Members to begin playing on a new lay-out within the horse-racing course at Musselburgh Links along the coast from Leith. After a few years of financial mismanagement leading to the sale of the original clubhouse and several early portraits to pay off debts, the Club's last tie with Leith was severed when the Company moved to Musselburgh in July 1836. Without a clubhouse the Members stored their clubs in rooms under the race-course grandstand. This was hardly suitable and in 1868 the Club built a clubhouse, and started to charge members an annual subscription. The Musselburgh course was now shared by four clubs and once again, overcrowding led the Club to move.

In 1891 they purchased The Howes, another old horse-racing track on the Archerfield Estate at Dirleton leading cynics to claim that all The Honourable Company had done was move 'from one race-course to another.'  The course, called Muirfield, was designed by Tom Morris and, within a year it hosted the Open Championship. The ethos of golf for the Club is two-ball match play, either singles or foursomes, other forms being discouraged but permitted on occasion. The Club hosts several formal dinners each year at which foursome matches are arranged by Members, wagers are placed and all participate in the betting.