Golf was first played at Muirfield in East Lothian, east of Edinburgh, in 1891. It hosted the first Open championship the following year. It has hosted th Open a total of 16 times. Champions include many of the world's greatest golfers of all time - Hagen Player, Nicklaus, Trevino, Watson, Faldo, Els and Mickleson have all won here. Muirfield is felt by some to be the greatest golf course in the world, and it is a severe test for the best golfers in the world.
Most recently, the club voted (on the second time of asking) to admit women. The Royal & Ancient made it clear that the Open would not be staged there again until this happened, although to be fair the first vote was close.