Muirfield Village Golf Club: Jack Nicklaus' Course

Can You Play Muirfield Village Golf Club?

Do you know Jack Nicklaus? No? Then probably not. Muirfield Village is a private club. Non-members can play only as the guests of members. One possible option, but for very few: If you belong to another upscale, exclusive golf club, you can ask your golf director to submit a reciprocal request.

Here is the contact info for Muirfield Village:

Address: 5750 Memorial Drive, Dublin, OH 43017
Phone: 614-889-6700
Website: mvgc.org (Note: Members can log in, but the website does not provide any public information other than location info and driving directions.)

Muirfield Village Origins and Architect

Nicklaus acquired the land in 1966, at a time when he was just starting to get interested in designing golf courses. He apprenticed himself to Pete Dye on a few projects (including Harbour Town Golf Links), and by 1972 was ready to tackle designing the golf course that he envisioned as the home of the Memorial Tournament.

Nicklaus was assisted in designing Muirfield Village by architect Desmond Muirhead, but this is considered the first "Jack Nicklaus design" (and still, by acclamation, his best).

Construction of the golf course started on July 28, 1972, and it took about two years for the course's completion. But Nicklaus still tweaks and updates the layout frequently.

Muirfield Village was officially dedicated on May 27, 1974 (Memorial Day). Nicklaus and fellow Ohioan Tom Weiskopf played an exhibition match that day, which Nicklaus won by shooting 66. That stood as the course record until 1979.

Muirfield Village Pars, Yardages, Ratings, Hazards and Turfs

Following are the hole-by-hole pars and yardages for Muirfield Village as it plays during The Memorial Tournament:

• No. 1 — Par 4 — 470 yards
• No. 2 — Par 4 — 455 yards
• No. 3 — Par 4 — 401 yards
• No. 4 — Par 3 — 200 yards
• No. 5 — Par 5 — 527 yards
• No. 6 — Par 4 — 447 yards
• No. 7 — Par 5 — 563 yards
• No. 8 — Par 3 — 185 yards
• No. 9 — Par 4 — 412 yards

Out — Par 36 — 3,660 yards

• No. 10 — Par 4 — 471 yards
• No. 11 — Par 5 — 567 yards
• No. 12 — Par 3 — 184 yards
• No. 13 — Par 4 — 455 yards
• No. 14 — Par 4 — 363 yards
• No. 15 — Par 5 — 529 yards
• No. 16 — Par 3 — 201 yards
• No. 17 — Par 4 — 478 yards
• No. 18 — Par 4 — 484 yards

In — Par 36 — 3,732 yards
Total — Par 72 — 7,392 yards

These "Memorial Tees" have a par of 72, a USGA Course Rating of 76.8 and a USGA Slope Rating of 155 (which is the maximum number for slope).

Yardages and ratings for members' tees are:

• Blue: 6,739 yards, par 72, 73.8/150
• White: 6,303 yards, par 72, 71.8/147 (men) and 77.7/148 (women)
• Green: 6,127 yards, par 72, 70.8/146 (men) and 76.7/144 (women)
• Red: 5,591 yards, par 72, 73.5/135 (women)

Muirfield Village has bentgrass greens, with bentgrass and poa annua on tees and fairways. The rough is a mix of Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and fescue, and its standard height is three inches.

The average green size is 5,000 square feet and green speeds during tournament play are typically 13 on the Stimpmeter. There are 79 sand bunkers and 13 water hazards on the golf course.

Significant Tournaments Played at Muirfield Village

Muirfield Village is the site of a PGA Tour event — one of the biggest, outside of the majors — every year, and you can check the Memorial Tournament profile page for the list of those tournament winners.

Muirfield Village Golf Club has also played host to several other important events, listed here (along with the tournament winners):

• 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship: Brian Montgomery
• 1987 Ryder Cup: Team Europe
• 1992 U.S. Amateur Championship: Justin Leonard
• 1998 Solheim Cup: Team USA
• 2013 Presidents Cup: Team USA

More About Muirfield Village Golf Club

Additional facts and trivia about "the course that Jack built":

• The first tournament of any kind played at Muirfield Village was a pro-am on Aug. 11, 1975. The first tour event was Nicklaus' inaugural Memorial Tournament in 1976.
• The first tour golfer to win at Muirfield Village was Roger Maltbie at that 1976 Memorial. Maltbie defeated Hale Irwin in a playoff.
• Nicklaus won his own tournament at his own golf course twice, first in 1977, then again in 1984. The win in 1984 was his second-to-last PGA Tour victory (followed only by the 1986 Masters).
• Tiger Woods has won five times at Muirfield Village with victories in The Memorial in 1999-2001, plus 2009 and 2012.
• Muirfield Village is the only golf course to host the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup, the three professional team cups involving Team USA squads. Only The Greenbrier in West Virginia has also hosted both the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.
• When the Ryder Cup was played at Muirfield Village in 1987, Team Europe's victory marked the first time ever that the Europe/GB&I team won a Ryder Cup in the United States.
• During play of The Memorial, the 529-yard par-5 No. 15 hole has ranked as the easiest (4.691 scoring average) at Muirfield Village, and the 444-yard, par-4 No. 18 the most difficult (4.239 average) hole, relative to par.