Muirfield Village is an “upscale” golf-oriented community in the
central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, located in
Dublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 49,328 in the 2020 census with a census estimate of 49,037 in 2019. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus. The city of Dublin hosts the yearly ...
, a suburb north of
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
.
Origins
Founded by
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...
, it is named after
Muirfield,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, where he won the first of his three
British Open
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later ...
titles in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...
to complete the first of his three career
grand slams. The village contains an eponymous golf course that hosts the
Memorial Tournament, a
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...
event played each spring since its inception in
1976. A bronze sculpture of Nicklaus mentoring a young golfer, unveiled in 1999, is located in the wide median of Muirfield Drive.
Although the land for the Muirfield Village Golf Club was acquired in 1966, construction began six years later and the golf club officially opened in May 1974, the same year that homes began to be sold. Muirfield Village is one of the wealthiest and most notable neighborhoods in Central Ohio, and is home to many local CEOs and celebrities including
Jack Hanna
Jack Bushnell Hanna (born January 2, 1947) is a retired American zookeeper and a former director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. "Jungle Jack" was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevat ...
,
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...
,
Jason Day and several Columbus Blue Jackets players. The community master plan and site development was designed by Bassett Associates of Lima, Ohio.
Muirfield Village functions as its own taxing unit with power to raise money for street lights, landscaping, and other municipal-like functions, despite being within the city of Dublin. It has its own neighborhood council for residents to participate in.
Golf courses
Two golf courses are located within Muirfield Village: The Country Club at Muirfield, which also has tennis and swimming, and the signature Muirfield Village Golf Club, where the Memorial Tournament is held annually. MVGC has also hosted several national championships and international team competitions, including the 1992
U.S. Amateur,
1987 Ryder Cup
The 27th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 25–27, 1987 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. The European team won their second consecutive competition by a score of 15 to 13 points in probably the m ...
, the
1998 Solheim Cup
The fifth Solheim Cup took place from September 18 to September 20, 1998, at Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio, United States. The United States team retained the cup beating the European team by 16 points to 12.
Teams
Europe
*Captain
** Pia ...
, the 1986
U.S. Junior Amateur The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the fourteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Ha ...
and the
2013 Presidents Cup
The 2013 Presidents Cup was held October 3–6 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. It was the tenth Presidents Cup competition and the sixth played in the United States.
The selection of Muirfield as ...
. It and
The Greenbrier in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
are the only two US courses to have hosted both the Ryder and Solheim Cups. When asked whether he would be interested in captaining the U.S. squad in the matches on his home course, Jack Nicklaus responded that although he would enjoy it, he believes captains should be more "current" with the players on the team.
Muirfield Village is controlled by Nicklaus, and he has regularly made changes to the course in order to accommodate new technology, make the course more enjoyable for members and tournament spectators, or simply offer a tougher test for the pros. In the 2010's, changes included lengthening several holes, including the first, tenth, twelfth, and seventeenth, adding bunkers, particularly at the tenth and seventeenth, and rerouting a stream on the eighteenth hole. In 2013, the eighteenth hole was lengthened by 40 yards. He also made changes to the driving range, added several suites overlooking the 18th hole, and completely remodeled the clubhouse inside and out. In 2014, ''
Golf Digest
''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competi ...
'' rated Muirfield Village as the number one golf course in Ohio, and 53rd in the first-ever world's 100 greatest golf courses. ''Golf Digest'' also ranked Muirfield Village 14th in the United States in 2018.
MVGC closed and underwent a large renovation after the 2020 Memorial Tournament. Every green complex was redone, bunkers were enlarged and deepened, and some positions of greens were moved.
[ The biggest changes were made on the fifth and fifteenth holes, and there were no changes made to the twelfth and fourteenth holes. Nicklaus called this renovation "his final bite at the apple", implying this would be the final major renovation in his lifetime.]
Scorecard
References
External links
Muirfield Village Golf ClubNicklaus.com
– Muirfield Village Golf Club
The Memorial TournamentThe Country Club at Muirfield Village
{{Authority control
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Golf clubs and courses in Ohio
Ryder Cup venues
Solheim Cup venues
Golf clubs and courses designed by Jack Nicklaus
Sports in Dublin, Ohio
Presidents Cup venues
Tourist attractions in Franklin County, Ohio
Sports venues completed in 1974
1974 establishments in Ohio