Castle Stuart

Castle Stuart was the brainchild of Mark Parsinen, the American developer behind Kingsbarns Golf Links. In 2006, he secured approval to build a golf resort on a coastal property in Inverness, and he brought in Gil Hanse to help with the design of the first course. The site offered views of the Moray Firth, the Black Isle, and Chanonry Point, but its terrain was severe and not naturally suited to golf. 

Hanse and Parsinen responded by taking an aggressive approach to construction, carving the course into a steep seaside bluff. Each nine opens with three holes along the firth before working inland and uphill. As Pete Dye did at Whistling Straits, Hanse and Parsinen constructed holes on a set of large tiers, which creates a striking visual effect: from the higher sections of the course, the lower holes are concealed, so players feel as though they are almost constantly right on the water. Many greens also feature infinity edges framed against the sea. Because of this emphasis on maximizing views, Castle Stuart’s design has a distinctly modern, American character. At the same time, its firm turf and expertly shaped links-like fairway contours maintain a thematic connection to the Scottish game. So while the course stands in contrast to the Highlands' older, more natural links, it doesn't feel entirely out of place.

Castle Stuart opened in 2009, just as the Recession clamped down on the golf industry. Parsinen put his plans for expanding the facility on hold, and he died unexpectedly in 2019. In 2022, Canadian development company Cabot bought the resort and renamed it Cabot Highlands. Cabot hired Tom Doak to build a second 18, Old Petty, which opened in 2026.

Take Note…

Namesake. The actual Castle Stuart, a 17th-century structure that now serves as Cabot Highlands’ premier hotel, stands about 400 yards from the sixth green. The par-3 fifth hole provides an attractive view of it, but the par-3 third at Old Petty sits right beside it. A caddie in my group joked the two courses should swap names, since Castle Stuart is closer to the historic Old Petty Church.

Raw material. The coastline beyond the 12th green shows what Castle Stuart’s land looked like before construction. Because the original beach below the bluff was too narrow for golf holes, Hanse and Parsinen’s crew had to build a platform using fill excavated elsewhere on site.

Mounds and mountains. The tightly mown mounds in front of the 13th green were molded to emulate the silhouettes of the Highland mountains on the horizon.

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