Muirfield Gullane Golf Course, Scotland

Scotland Muirfield golf course Gullane, East Lothian

Muirfield is a private course and belongs to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers who moved there from neighboring Musselburgh in 1891. The original course was designed by "Old" Tom Morris. In 1892 it was used for the Open Championship but was widely criti­cized because it was bounded by stone walls, and was considered an inland course. It is a long course, nearly 7,000 yards (6,400m) and is renowned for the severity of its rough. Henry Cotton won the Open here in 1948, Jack Nicklaus in 1966 (he named his course in Ohio, Muirfield Village in its honor), and Nick Faldo won in the Muirfield centenary year of 1982. However, the best-known Open at Muirfield was the one that was about to be won by Tony Jacklin in 1972 when Lee Trevino chipped in at the 7lst hole to snatch victory by two shots.

Royaltroon Prestwick Golf Course, Scotland

Scotland Royal Troon golf course Prestwick, Ayrshire

Troon lies next-door to Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland in the county of Ayrshire. Prestwick is the more historic course for it was there that the Open was held for the first 12 years of its existence (thereafter operating in a rota with St Andrews and Musselburgh), but Troon is longer and more demanding. The Open was first held here in 1923 and again in 1950, 1962, 1973, 1982 and 1989. Arnold Palmer won in 1962 with a masterly exhibition of golf in dry and difficult conditions. The course is most famous for the "Postage Stamp" hole, the 8th, where in one Open an unfortunate German amateur took 15 strokes.