Muirfield Hole 01
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Par 4, 447 yards
The 1st at Muirfield is perhaps the toughest opening hole of the entire Open Championship rota. And not just because of its length. You need to be very careful off the tee here to avoid the heavy rough – a challenge that is made even more demanding by the fact that, although the hole dog-legs gently to the right, the crosswind is usually right-to-left. This narrows the landing area off the tee and invariably makes the approach shot into the green longer.
Muirfield is known for playing visual tricks. Throughout the course, you’ll frequently see bunkers placed some 30 yards or so short of the green. This has a foreshortening effect and gives the impression that the approach shot is actually shorter than it is. Although the players are unlikely to fall into that trap too often, I guarantee you will see a few puzzled looks throughout the week. If you make par here, I guarantee you’re picking up at least half a stroke on the hole. That’s two shots over the four days.
