Cabot Highlands

GF 385,00 GBP, driving range 10, tee offs 9, fairways 9, roughs 9, bunkers 9, greens 10, walking difficulty 8, course design 10, course difficulty 9, pro shop 8

Report on Castle Stuart What remains to be said? A spectacular course with 18 great holes, including arguably the best finishing hole in Scotland (had an entertaining discussion with the staff about that ;). The bunkering is world famous. Revetted bunkers, bunkers lined with sleepers and most of them with rough edges with rough and sometimes heathers. There are even bunkers with all three styles in one bunker. Spectacular, but a bit over the top. The course would be even better if more consistency in the bunkering were obtained. As for the "three questions": - Did you I have a great day: yes certainly! The quality of the course lifted my game and I scored 38 points (yay) - Would I play it again? Probably not, too expensive even for the exceptional quality provided (the bag tag and strokesaver included) - Would I want to become a member: no, this isn't even a club. It's a high end resort built for American tourists. Conclusion: been there, done that. Report on Old Petty Tom Doak was asked to build a second course at Cabot Highlands. Except for hole 1-2 and 17-18, the land is quite different from Castle Stuart. Ironically, the Castle is visible on 14 holes against only 1 (the 4th) at Castle Stuart – the courses should swop names! The course starts with a challenging par 4 that crosses the 18th hole. Pure links, followed by short par 4. The 3rd hole is destined to become the signature picture hole: a long downhill par 3, with a green location next to the castle. Hook the ball and you might hit the building. Parkland style hole – not links. The 4th is a marshland hole, with a long carry and a green next to the water. A kind of hole you’d expect in South Carolina, not Scotland. Then the course moves into what used to be farmland. This is where Tom Doak’s talent and imagination becomes clear. Lots of variety, with the interesting par 4 12th hole; slightly uphill with a blind second shot. The 13th is a short, driveable downhill par 4, with OB on the left. The weakest hole is 16, a boring uphill par 4 to climb back to 17 and 18. The 17th hole is a beautiful, slightly uphill short par 3 hole, easily my favourite. Collecting pot bunkers catch every short slightly short. Take one club more. The course closes with a beautiful par 4, a worthy finishing hole. The course still needs to mature. The grass is thin (especially the rough) and the greens are still slow. The bunkering is quite different from Castle Stuart, with large waste bunkers and revetted pot bunkers around the greens. Clearly the land Tom Doak was offered held less potential and because of it, the course shows less consistency in the style of holes. It is walking only course only, so there are no ugly car paths, only grass paths. Good - his is the future of golf! The tees are very long, winding snake-like areas, so there are lots of possible tee positions. All in all, Old Petty displays a different character than Castle Stuart. Anywhere else, on its own, it would be considered a magnificent course, but at Cabot Highland it is destined to always play a second fiddle next to its older sister…

It’s weird to think that Castle Stuart has only been here for a relatively short period of time in golfing terms. It’s a course moulded into the dunes just outside Inverness that feels like it has been here for centuries. It is a grueling test of your ability and not for the faint hearted. Starting with a pair of long narrow holes that have the coast on one side and a hill lined with gorse bushes to the test, you have to be on your game from the outset. Holes 3 and 4 give you a bit of respite with the 4th offering a view of the castle in the background before moving on to the rest of the back 9 on immaculate, carpet line fairways and large green complexes. As you can imagine on the coast of Scotland, wind plays a huge factor and makes an already tough course even more challenging. As if the views on the front 9 weren’t good enough with the Moray Fiirth in the background. The back 9 quicks off with an elevated tee with the Firth in the background once more. There are so many good holes on courses like these that it’s hard to pick one out but that par 4 10th and the par 3 11th are top class with exceptional views. It really is an exceptional course and quite rightly recognised as one of the top 100 in the world. From the moment you are greeted in the morning you know you’re in for a treat. From the range, to the views from the restaurant it’s high quality. Great service, very friendly and if you have the money definitely worth playing.

This was the day I’d been looking forward to the most on my trip. After making my way to Inverness the night before I set off at the crack of dawn to Cabot Highlands (formerly Castle Stuart) which now comprises two world class 18 hole courses. The Old Petty course was my first of the day and had only opened a week before. Upon arrival you can immediately tell the difference between here and your run of the mill courses. You are greeted, bags are taken and settle into an armchair with a coffee in hand. Shortly after I headed to the range, the type that only the high end courses have with a pyramid of premium balls already stacked. The Old Petty course is a short walk from the range and after being greeted by the starter, handed our welcome gift, chucking a bunch of tees into my pocket and collecting the customary pencil myself and my American counterpart set on our way. The course starts with a gentle 4 par which actually shares its fairway with the 18th. A lovely expansive area to settle the first tee nerves. The second takes you down and around, a sweeping par 4 to a long, narrow, raised green before heading across the road to one of the more picturesque holes on the course with Castle Stuart (the castle itself) ominously in view off the tee box, the hole itself a long par 3 at over 200 meters. The course continues to work its way to the end of the property, the 5th hole takes you past the brightly coloured old bothy which is quite a spectacle in the middle of the course. Unlike the Castle Stuart course, Old Petty goes all the way out and then you slowly work your way back in with views of the Moray firth and the rolling hills around Inverness. It’s crazy to think this course is brand new, the greens are already looking fantastic and the fairways are firm and fluffy. For those visiting Cabot Highlands, the Old Petty is a must play, if you found Castle Stuart to be incredibly tough, this will allow for some better scoring. It’s a great design of subtle humps and bumps, huge greens with subtle contours.

Toller Platz für Leute, die gerne auf Berge klettern. Entlang der Küste geht es viel hoch und runter. Der Platz hat sehr abwechslungsreiche Bahnen mit typischen tiefen Topfbunkern und starken Höhenunterschieden zwischen Abschlag und Grün. Der Pflegezustand ist top. Unbedingt zu empfehlen ist ein warmer Imbiss am Halfwayhouse. Die Preise in der Gastro sind für vergleichbare Clubs sehr moderat.