If you’re a keen golfer, you need to play at least once in the Scottish highlands – it’s as simple as that.
Since the 15th century, Scotland (St. Andrews to be precise) has been credited as the true birthplace of the sport and while there are sunnier destinations around Europe for a golf getaway, the charm of playing golf in a country with such heritage for the game certainly appeals.
Then you have the Cabot influence. What started with their Cape Breton course in Canada, Cabot have grown to invest and sometimes take over some of the dreamiest golf locations in the world including St Lucia, Lofoten Links in Norway and as of three years ago, Castle Stuart in Scotland.
Royal Troon, St Andrews and even Turnberry Trump are famed courses north of the border in the UK, but Castle Stuart has plenty of history itself having hosted the Scottish Open multiple times.
Daily Mail Sport had to come and see the combination of a world class links course and the Cabot touch in the beautiful Scottish highlands and we were not disappointed.
Castle Stuart
Many of you will be familiar with links golf and how the wind can have its way with you, but until you try playing golf on a championship level course with 40mph winds it’s truly hard to grasp just how hard it is!
The views of the course are very on brand for Cabot and their collection of sites; the coast, high grass and marshy landscape makes the course feel quintessentially Scottish.
Given I play a lot of golf in the south of England, I felt transported to the very picture I had in my brain of Scottish golf at Castle Stuart.
Before we got going, we warmed up at the well kept and aesthetically pleasing driving range, which the general manager tells us is being developed to become a 12-hole pitch and putt of sorts for some night time fun in the near future.
We then putted on a large surface in front of the main clubhouse before the short walk to the first tee. And we were assigned caddies! A first for me.
The first three holes playing against the wind had their way with me. I’m sure my caddy Allan was mightily impressed. All the danger plays to the right with the coastline but fighting against that damn wind will have you making all kinds of adjustments.
At the fourth hole you head uphill and make the turn – for an even better look at the stunning views – and you’re suddenly playing a par three at the fabled castle the course is named after and downwind. A real treat.
It was a true links golf experience. Sometimes we had a four or five club swing depending on the conditions and the wind only got stronger as the round progressed.
For the first three holes of the back nine you drop back down to the shoreline and truly battle the elements before heading for higher ground once more.
The course has a beautiful balance to it in that regard; it’s challenging and beautiful, but not totally beyond the average golfer. A wide range of abilities can play the course.
The closing stretch is remarkably fun. Both of the holes were into around 40mph of wind, but the 17th is a long par three you can take a driver out on in those winds and the finishing par five plays right towards the clubhouse at around 600 yards, which feels like five miles in the conditions. Fantastic challenge.
Just a beautiful, well-crafted course that even a 20 handicapper like myself can enjoy.
To take a closer look and book your next golf trip, click the link.
Old Petty
The second day of our trip was dedicated to playing Old Petty, a course that is currently open for previewing but not officially opening until around May next year.
The site has long yearned for a second course and Cabot are within touching distance of making it a reality. Arnold Palmer had developed plans years ago, but when Cabot took over the Castle Stuart property in 2022, they immediately announced the plans for a second course, enlisting Tom Doak as the architect.
Directly to the right of the driving range is the first tee where once again I had a caddy to watch me flirt in the 90s with some hit and miss stuff!
The first and 18th holes have crossing fairways while the second hole is a tidy par three. After that, you’ll leave what I would call the original grounds, cross one gravelly road, and head to the proverbial newer side of town.
Cabot opted to build away from the sand dunes and mostly on farmland with only a handful of holes playing towards the coastline that helps make Castle Stuart feel special (along with delightful greens and perfectly manicured fairways).
No, this isn’t a true links course in that sense. Ironically, Castle Stuart Bay estuary, celebrating its 400th birthday this year we’re told, comes into play as soon as you cross the road on Old Petty.
There is a par three that plays right next to it. You then play alongside it on the 4th before playing to, and then alongside it, on holes 13-15 – all very hilly holes.
There is a striking red half-way house after the fifth green which is an old converted house (that used to sleep 10 people apparently). We’re told they plan to make it more accessible for players on the back nine who don’t want to traverse the marshland for a coffee, too.
The par five eighth hole is full of risk but hitting the green in two is certainly a possibility (as I witness two of my playing partners do so). The downhill par four on the 13th plays about 320 yards, but with the decline and the wind, you’re seduced into going for it (every good course needs one or two drivable par fours, don’t they?).
Another hole I richly enjoyed was the 17th. A par three where the green is slightly raised and only 135 yards away, but if you’re short you’re finished and if you’re long, you’re in a bunker. The landing area is small, but the hole is fun and visually impressive.
I don’t doubt that Cabot will refine the course before we see it in its full glory next year, but overall I think it’s a course that compliments the joy and brutality of Castle Stuart nicely. Importantly, a wide array of abilities can play it, but those who can really play are rewarded for sure.
Staying at Cabot Highlands
As is the case with Lofoten Links, Cabot Highlands offers high-spec shared lodges where you have your own spacious room and bathroom but share a living room and kitchen.
With prices starting at around £495 for one night and two rounds of golf, that’s a pretty good deal when you consider it’s about £330-ish to play Castle Stuart on its own.
The view from our lodge offered views of the course and you had to cross the 16th fairway to get to it. They have other stay options scattered around the land with the same set-up, but by the end of this year they plan to build a series of lodges right next to the clubhouse which they estimate will take one year to build.
That will take Cabot to the next level in Inverness. The quality of their stay options and the level of care they provide alongside it whether it be filling up your kitchen with food and drink or the meals they cook for you in the clubhouse (the breakfast rolls are addictive), Cabot have certainly got the make-you-feel-special factor down pat.
Everything has a modern, chic finish which helps to feel like you’re getting bang for your buck. To see Cabot expand that out over the next year with the opening of Old Petty alongside it is an exciting prospect to say the least.
Other perks of this location include being able to drive into the centre of Inverness in about 15-20 minutes, but perhaps the most underrated aspect of Cabot Highlands is the fact you can get from the airport to the clubhouse in five minutes flat. I’m not exaggerating!
And yet, apart from the occasional plane that flies overhead, you’d never know you’re essentially right next to an airport. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Overall
It’s really easy to get invested in Cabot’s vision for golf. As mentioned earlier, having started in Canada and successfully taking over another course in Florida (Citrus Farms), the brand has developed a reputation for finding magical locations and giving them a top-tier polish and special service.
If I’m visiting a Cabot location, I know it’s going to be visually a must-see before I get there, and this was the case once again. As Cabot’s portfolio inevitably continues to grow, it’s worth keeping an eye on any destination they target.
The Scottish Highlands is a dream destination for golf and Castle Stuart sustains that idea with beautiful links golf. Is Old Petty better than Castle Stuart?
I found it a little easier to play, but I’d say it’s like a good striker partnership in football. Old Petty is a tremendous foil for the goal machine that is Castle Staurt and it makes them quite a potent, attractive pair.
