Old Petty – Cabot Highlands
Generation Golf
Cabot Highlands became part of the Cabot brand in 2022 after acquiring Castle Stuart in 2022. American developer Mark Parsinen, who launched Castle Stuart in 2009, had dreamed of adding a second course to his portfolio but passed away before being able to realize that vision.
Old Petty is that vision come true. Designed by Tom Doak, Old Petty is the second course at Cabot Highlands, joining Castle Stuart as part of the Cabot Highlands property. Opened on May 15, 2026, Old Petty gives golfers another reason to visit the Scottish Highlands and paired with Castle Stuart provides a uniquely-Scottish golfing experience with modern design credentials.
Old Petty derives it’s name from Old Petty Church, built back in 1839. While Old Petty has shorter stretches along the water, the routing brings players through gently rolling terrain along a tidal estuary with sweeping coastline views. “This was kind of a tough assignment, because there’s a really good golf course already here that used up a lot of the most spectacular views in parts of the property,” Doak said after playing his first round on Old Petty. “And I know, even some of my clients would say, ‘Oh, that’s a hard job because you’ve got to compete with that other golf course.’ And I don’t think of it like that. I mean, I think we’re trying to complement the other golf course, and whichever one of them that people like the most, at the end of the day, you want to have built something that they want to play.”
Course Design
While Castle Stuart holds onto many of the best views on the Cabot Highlands property, Old Petty holds it’s own unique charms. Notably, Old Petty plays alongside the 400-year-old Castle Stuart and adjacent to the Old Petty Church, providing players with unique views of its own.
Even with the modern design, Old Petty still draws inspiration from the traditional links-style golf played more than 200 years ago. It is a walking-only, links-style routing with firm fairways that allow for the ground game to be fully utilized.
Doak’s vision was to build the course around the land, not the other way around, focusing on using . Said Doak, “We originally talked about building a completely bunkerless golf course, but we realized quite quickly that the best sites for those are normally kind of quite constrained, quite tight, full of quite severe features and full of texture to kind of provide the contrast and interest. And really out there (at Old Petty), it’s a pretty big and broad landscape. But being by the sea and being exposed to the wind, we really wanted to make the ground come to be the most interesting part of the design.”
Old Petty – Cabot Highlands
Generation Golf
The downhill par-3 third hole takes players past the 400-year old Castle Stuart, a tower house that was completed in 1625. Upon reaching the par-4 fifth hole, players are greeted by a bothy, which is a Scottish cottage. The bothy is now used as a halfway house for players wanting snacks or refreshment.
While it doesn’t serve up the coastal views on every hole, the routing does make a journey to the Moray Firth. The front-9 and the beginning of the back-9 holes play mostly away from the coastline, but play moves back towards the Moray Firth on the par-4 13th, hugging the waterline for the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes before turning back towards the clubhouse.
Doak’s focus on the land movement results in a distinctly links play-style. “The most important thing you can have in golf is a difference between where the ball lands and where it winds up,” Doak said. “Here, it’s because of the firmness of the ground and the wind. And you don’t get that in every place that you work. But when you have it, it’s much more interesting.” Where the ball lands and where it winds up is driven by what the links gives you on a particular day. The ground game is an integral part of links golf, and can be dictated by wind, fairway firmness, and land contouring, allowing players to experience, for that day, what the links gives them.
Caddies are available for hire at Old Petty. While the course is walking only, a limited number of golf carts can be reserved for golfers with a medical certificate.
Amenities
Cabot Highlands includes a full-length driving range and dedicated short-game area with a large practice putting green off the clubhouse. Cabot Highlands also has an art-deco style clubhouse which offers great views of the golf courses and surrounding landscape. The clubhouse includes a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu featuring many options for local Scottish fare.
Old Petty – Cabot Highlands
Jacob Sjoman
Travel
Cabot Highlands is located in the Scottish Highlands, with the closest city and airport being Inverness. The resort sits a mere ten minutes from Inverness, making Cabot Highlands an ideal place to base a golf trip to the Scottish Highlands from, offering on-site lodging. The resort offers 36-holes to guests, but also serves as a convenient location to explore other highly-ranked golf courses in the Scottish Highlands, including Royal Dornoch and Nairn.
Beyond golf, the Scottish Highlands boast a broad array of attractions. Visitors can enjoy a round of golf in the morning and pair a sightseeing visit to one of the many famous attractions including Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the many Scotch distilleries that are located in the area, as well as world-class hiking and other outdoor activities, all of which make Cabot Highlands an attractive destination to visit.
Leave a comment