Castle Stuart

The verdict

Castle Stuart is the modern links that proved you could build a great one from scratch and have it embraced by the tour and the purists alike. Developer Mark Parsinen, who had already created Kingsbarns, teamed with architect Gil Hanse on a strip of ground along the Moray Firth, and the result is a course of generous, inviting fairways, bold artificial dunes, and greens that demand thought rather than brute force. It is links golf with the drama turned up: wide off the tee, but punishing if you ignore the angles and the wind off the firth.

The setting is the signature. Holes run along two levels, an upper plateau and a lower shelf nearer the water, with views across the firth to the Kessock Bridge, the Chanonry lighthouse and the hills of the Black Isle. The Scottish Open came here four times in its first decade, and the course has only grown in stature since, now part of Cabot Highlands alongside the new Tom Doak designed Old Petty. For a Highlands trip built around Inverness, Castle Stuart is essential, and far more accessible than many of Scotland's storied links.

The holes worth the trip

Castle Stuart opens with intent. The downhill par 4 first runs straight toward the firth, with the water and the Kessock Bridge filling the view, an introduction that tells you the scenery here is part of the test. The front nine works along the shoreline, the fairways wide enough to tempt a driver but framed so that the bold line off the tee opens the green and the safe line leaves an awkward angle.

The course climbs to its upper plateau and back down through the round, and the par 3s are a highlight, exposed to the wind and played to greens that fall away on the wrong side. The closing stretch is built for drama, the kind the Scottish Open thrived on, with the par 5 18th sweeping back beneath the art deco clubhouse and the firth as the backdrop. It is a finish that has decided tournaments and rewards the player still swinging freely.

What sets Castle Stuart apart is the balance of generosity and demand. There is room to enjoy it for the higher handicapper, and enough strategy and exposure to test the best, which is exactly why it slotted so quickly into the tour rotation and onto Scotland's must play list.

Where to stay nearby

Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, is the natural base, just a few minutes from the course and full of hotels, dining and the gateway to Loch Ness and the wider Highlands. Cabot Highlands itself offers on site lodging, which puts both Castle Stuart and the new Old Petty course on the doorstep for a golf focused stay.

The location makes Castle Stuart the cornerstone of a Highlands golf trip. It pairs naturally with Royal Dornoch up the coast and Nairn nearby, an itinerary of three outstanding links within an easy drive. It is an ideal region to build a multi course pilgrimage around, with Inverness as the hub.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Castle Stuart.