How to Play Muirfield
Muirfield, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and the oldest golf club in the world, is for many the finest strategic links on earth, a par 71 of around 7,245 yards laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1891 and remodelled by Harry Colt in 1925 into two clockwise and anticlockwise loops. It has hosted the Open Championship sixteen times, more than all but St Andrews and Prestwick. Here is exactly how to play it in 2026, what it costs, and when to go.
Photograph: Muirfield, Gullane, kevin heggie, via Google
The short answer
Apply to the club well ahead. Muirfield welcomes visitors on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you book through the Honourable Company's golf services team, who confirm a date and check your handicap, which must be 24 or less. Demand is fierce: the 2026 diary from mid April to October is already fully booked, with new enquiries added to a cancellation waiting list. The indicative 2026 green fee is around 325 pounds for a single round, or around 495 pounds for the classic two round day. Bring a jacket and tie for the public rooms, and always confirm current visitor days, requirements and fees directly before booking.
How to book, step by step
| Detail | 2026 position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor days | Tuesdays and Thursdays | Mid April to October already fully booked; cancellation waiting list |
| How to book | Apply to the golf services team | Or through a trip planner as part of an East Lothian itinerary |
| Handicap limit | Recognised handicap of 24 or less | Checked at time of booking; bring proof |
| Dress code | Jacket and tie in the public rooms | No golf clothing in the clubhouse; smart links attire on course |
Visitor days and requirements verified in June 2026 from the club's published information; they can change season to season, so always confirm directly with Muirfield or your trip planner before booking. Check tee time availability.
Muirfield green fees, 2026
| Option | Indicative 2026 fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single round | Around 325 pounds | One round on a visitor day, morning or afternoon |
| Two rounds, same day | Around 495 pounds | The traditional Muirfield day, foursomes, lunch, then a second round |
| Lunch | The famous clubhouse lunch | Jacket and tie required; an experience in itself |
| Caddies | Additional, paid locally | Strongly recommended on a first visit |
Green fees verified indicatively in June 2026 from the club's published rates; they change year to year, so always confirm current fees directly before booking.
The round, caddies and what to expect
Muirfield is the most honest of the great links, a course where everything is in front of you and the challenge is strategic rather than blind. Colt's two loops mean the wind never blows from the same quarter for more than a few holes at a stretch, so reading it is the whole game, and the deep, revetted bunkers punish the lazy line without mercy. It has crowned a roll call of champions, from Walter Hagen and Henry Cotton to Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo and, most recently in 2013, Phil Mickelson. A caddie earns the fee on a first visit, and the round is best taken in the old style, two loops with lunch in between. Mind the clubhouse dress code.
When to go and what to pair it with
Play on a Tuesday or Thursday from late spring to early autumn for the firmest turf and the best East Lothian weather, and apply early in the year because the summer diary fills fast. Muirfield sits in the richest concentration of links in the world: Gullane's three courses are on the doorstep, North Berwick's quirky West Links is minutes away, and Renaissance, Archerfield, Luffness and Dunbar fill out a week without a long drive. Base yourself in Gullane or North Berwick, build the trip around your Muirfield day, and you have the finest links week in Scotland outside St Andrews. A morning tee time catches the calmest air.
Plan a Muirfield and East Lothian trip
We apply for the Muirfield visitor day you want, check the handicap and dress requirements, and build the week around Gullane, North Berwick and the rest of the East Lothian links. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Muirfield booking questions
How do you book a tee time at Muirfield?
Muirfield, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, welcomes visitors on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the year. You apply to the club's golf services team, who confirm available dates and check your handicap at the time of booking. Demand is intense, with the 2026 diary from mid April to October fully booked and enquiries added to a cancellation waiting list, so apply as far ahead as possible or book through a trip planner as part of an East Lothian itinerary. Always confirm current visitor days and availability directly before booking.
How much does it cost to play Muirfield in 2026?
The 2026 visitor green fee is around 325 pounds for a single round, with a two round day on the same day around 495 pounds, which is the traditional way to experience the club, morning foursomes followed by lunch and an afternoon round. These are indicative figures that move year to year, so always confirm current fees directly before booking. Caddies are available and paid locally and are well worth taking on a first visit.
What is the handicap limit at Muirfield?
Visitors must hold a recognised handicap of 24 or less, which the club checks at the time of booking. Muirfield is one of the great strategic links and a frequent Open Championship venue, so the requirement is genuine. Bring proof of your handicap, and note the club's traditional dress code in the public rooms, which calls for a jacket and tie for gentlemen. Always confirm current visitor requirements directly before booking.
When is the best time to play Muirfield?
Muirfield admits visitors only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so plan around those days, and the late spring to early autumn months bring the firmest links turf and the best of the East Lothian weather, at the busiest demand. Because the diary fills well ahead, apply early in the year for a summer date. Pair the round with Gullane, North Berwick and the other East Lothian links, which sit minutes away. Always confirm current visitor days and rates directly before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time releases, green fee changes and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, visitor days and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.