Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart Links
Castle Stuart announced itself the moment it opened, a links so generous off the tee and so cunning around the greens that the world's best chased it down four times for the Scottish Open. Now flying the Cabot flag and about to gain a Tom Doak sister course, it is the most photogenic round in the Highlands, all blue firth, white art deco clubhouse and infinite Moray light.
Photo: Cabot Highlands via Google.
The verdict
Castle Stuart is the rare modern links that plays as if it has always been there. Mark Parsinen, the developer behind Kingsbarns, walked this ground above the Moray Firth and shaped it with the American architect Gil Hanse, opening in 2009 to immediate acclaim. Within two years it was hosting the Scottish Open, which returned in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016, and the course handled the best in the game without ever feeling tricked up.
The genius of the place is width. Fairways spill out wide and welcoming, so the average traveller can swing freely and enjoy the views, while the real defense sits in the greens and the run offs, where a fraction of misjudgment leaves a fiendish recovery. In 2022 the Cabot group bought the links and rebranded it Cabot Highlands, with a second eighteen by Tom Doak, called Old Petty, opening for the 2026 season. For the visiting golfer it means one of the great Highland day trips is about to become a genuine two course destination.
Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart at a glance
- Opened
- 2009
- Designers
- Parsinen and Hanse
- Type
- Links
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Up to 7,200 yds
- Green fee
- From £350 to £395
Design credits, opening year and par verified June 2026 from the club and course databases. The links reaches roughly 7,200 yards from the championship tees and plays a good deal shorter from the everyday markers most visitors use. Green fees are indicative, around 350 to 395 pounds for a single peak summer round in the 2026 season, with lower spring and autumn rates and twilight options. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The opening stretch sets the tone, with the par 4 first and the long par 3 third running hard against the firth so that the water seems to lap at the fairway edge. Castle Stuart loves a tease, tempting you to flirt with the coastline for the better angle in, then asking whether your nerve matches your ambition.
The closing run is where the round is won or lost. The 17th, a short par 4 along the shore, rewards the brave drive and punishes the lazy one, and the par 5 18th sweeps back up to the clubhouse with the ruins of Castle Stuart on the skyline and the firth glittering below. It is one of the most uplifting walks in Scottish golf, scenery and strategy in perfect step.
Throughout, the fun is in the ground game. Approaches can be flighted high or run in low along the firm turf, and the greens feed and repel in equal measure depending on the pin. Play it in a breeze, as you usually will, and Castle Stuart reveals the depth beneath its friendly surface. It flatters the holidaymaker and still examines the scratch player, which is exactly why it ranks among the finest links built this century.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A pay and play resort links; visitors are welcome with a booked tee time, and the new Old Petty course adds a second eighteen from the 2026 season |
| Green fee | Around 350 to 395 pounds for a single peak summer round, less in spring and autumn, with twilight and multi round rates (indicative) |
| Booking | Reserve well ahead through the resort; summer dates and Scottish Open era demand fill the sheet early |
| On the day | A walking links with caddies and buggies available; the clubhouse dining and the firth views are part of the experience |
| Getting there | On the Moray Firth about 15 minutes from Inverness and its airport, and around 35 minutes from Nairn and Royal Dornoch country |
| Best months | May to September for the firmest turf, the warmest light and the longest Highland evenings |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from the club; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with Cabot Highlands or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
Most visitors base in or around Inverness, ten minutes away, where riverside hotels and the airport make Castle Stuart an easy first or last round of a Highlands tour. The resort itself has elevated its lodging and dining under Cabot ownership, and with Old Petty opening it is fast becoming a place to stay rather than simply visit.
The smart play is to fold Castle Stuart into a northern loop. Nairn lies twenty minutes east, Royal Dornoch under an hour north over the Kessock and Cromarty bridges, and the hidden gems of Brora and Golspie sit beyond. A few nights between Inverness and Dornoch links the Highlands' best courses into one of the most rewarding weeks in Scottish golf.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Cabot Highlands.
Build a Highlands links week around Cabot Highlands
We pair Castle Stuart and the new Old Petty course with Royal Dornoch, Nairn and the Sutherland gems, book the tee times in the right order and handle the hotels and transfers. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Cabot Highlands questions
Is Castle Stuart the same place as Cabot Highlands?
Yes. Castle Stuart Golf Links was acquired by the Cabot group in 2022 and rebranded Cabot Highlands. The original 2009 links remains, and a second eighteen hole course by Tom Doak, called Old Petty, opens for the 2026 season, turning it into a two course destination.
Who designed Castle Stuart and when did it open?
The links was created by the developer Mark Parsinen with the architect Gil Hanse and opened in 2009. It hosted the Scottish Open in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016, a remarkable run for so young a course.
What are the par and yardage at Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart?
It is a par 72 that stretches to around 7,200 yards from the championship tees and plays considerably shorter from the everyday markers, with wide, forgiving fairways and well defended greens.
How much does it cost to play Cabot Highlands?
Indicative peak summer green fees run around 350 to 395 pounds for a single round on the Castle Stuart links in the 2026 season, with cheaper spring, autumn and twilight rates. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Design history, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.