Cabot Highlands in Inverness, Scotland dishes up scrumptious sea vistas, and great links golf, heaped with hospitality. The clubhouse is tiered like a birthday cake with floor to ceiling windows on every layer, built for parties with a grand view of the course and the Moray Firth.
The welcome is sincere and informative introducing the pro shop, restaurant and practice facilities. Starters offer a Scottish shortbread cookie and a very comprehensive yardage book beginning with a three-page introduction to the experience and play philosophy by Mark Parsinen, managing partner of Castle Stuart Golf, and Gil Hanse, co-designer of the course. 18 sections of layouts and descriptions include postcard perfect snapshots of holes on the cornerstone course that is Castle Stuart. The cornerstone reference is because alongside it, excavation is underway to execute Tom Doak’s second design of 18, to be Old Petty.
What we love about The Castle Stuart Golf Links is how the fairways are laid out in a stacked fashion such that nearly every hole looks over the sea life of Moray Firth. Whereas waiting to play shots as a two ball between foursomes can be usually annoying, here at Castle Stuart, it provides a calm occasion to bide your time watching the tide roll in. Across the estuary, the sun shone on the green hill and village. The Chanonry Lighthouse beaconed on Black Isle, opposite of Fort George which stood staunchly in gray on the Peninsula, mirroring the incoming clouds above. Private jets and helicopters flew to the airport while birds of prey dove for fish.
The greens are fast, and it is smart to note the approach advice kindly given in the yardage book and refer to the daily greens card giving flag position and measurements. Bunkers with walled fronts have soft tan sand requiring a full fast swing with an open-faced launch to pop out. Tin cups deliver a loud dink to reward successful putts.
Hole 4, Par 3 faces the namesake Stuart Castle topped with the open spire that inspired the logo. It was built in 1625 and belonged to James Stuart who was gifted the land by his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots. It is also seen from the Clubhouse and may be later toured.
Kessock Bridge, connecting Inverness to Black Isle is in view from many holes and nicely frames number 14. All the views are stunning until the clouds blow in. They say when you can’t see Kessock, get your waterproofs on. We lucked out with the Scottish weather for 17 holes and finished 18 drenched by a downpour, nonetheless ecstatic about the experience.
Ben Dewar’s fingerprint is all over Castle Stuart. Employees note the kind owner’s engagement with everyone he meets, a quality we too appreciated when meeting him at Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida.
Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia was Ben’s first successful golf endeavor where we enjoyed the Cabot Links Course as the Cabot Cliffs was being architected many years ago. Ever expanding, more locations include Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia and the latest addition to the award-winning portfolio is Cabot Bordeaux in France. There Bill Coore returned to the Cabot team with Rod Whitman to design two 18-hole championship golf courses at the former Golf Du Médoc Resort.
Apres golf at Cabot Highlands, there is no shortage of castles, gardens, distilleries, beaches, architectural wonders and pubs to visit in and around Inverness. https://cabothighlands.com/