Cabot Cape Breton vs Cabot Highlands: Which Golf Trip Wins?
Two resorts, one family, two towns called Inverness an ocean apart. Cabot Cape Breton is the original: Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, both ranked among the best courses on earth, stacked above the Gulf of St Lawrence in Nova Scotia. Cabot Highlands is the Scottish answer: the Castle Stuart links on the Moray Firth, now doubled by Tom Doak's Old Petty, which opened in May 2026. We have priced both at 2026 rates, and the answer depends on what kind of week you want.
Photograph: Cabot Cliffs Golf Course, via Google
The verdict
For the sheer quality of golf inside one gate, Cabot Cape Breton still wins. Coore and Crenshaw's Cabot Cliffs, opened in 2015 with its unforgettable clifftop par 3 16th and a rare card of six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s, and Rod Whitman's Cabot Links of 2012, Canada's first true links where every hole sees the ocean, are both fixtures in world top 100 rankings. Add the Nest, the 10 hole par 3 course on the bluff, and no other 36 hole property in North America delivers this much great golf this close together. The catch is the journey: Halifax, then roughly three to three and a half hours by road to Inverness, Nova Scotia, inside a season that runs from early May to late October.
But in 2026, Cabot Highlands is the trip with the story. Tom Doak's Old Petty held its grand opening on May 15, 2026, joining the Castle Stuart links that Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse built in 2009 and that hosted four Scottish Opens. The 400 year old Castle Stuart watches over 13 of Old Petty's 18 holes, Inverness airport is ten minutes away, and Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Cruden Bay turn the resort into a base for the best golf county in the world rather than a destination you bunker into. Course for course Cape Breton edges it; trip for trip, this year, the Highlands argument is very hard to beat.
Head to head
| What matters | Cabot Cape Breton, Nova Scotia | Cabot Highlands, Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| The courses | Cabot Cliffs (Coore and Crenshaw, 2015, par 72) and Cabot Links (Rod Whitman, 2012, par 70), plus the Nest 10 hole par 3 | Castle Stuart links (Parsinen and Hanse, 2009, par 72) and Old Petty (Tom Doak, grand opening May 15, 2026) |
| Pedigree | Both 18s rank in world top 100 lists; Cliffs' par 3 16th is one of golf's most photographed holes | Castle Stuart hosted four Scottish Opens between 2011 and 2016; Old Petty is the most anticipated UK opening of 2026 |
| 2026 green fee | Indicative from around CAD 190 in shoulder weeks to roughly CAD 450 per round at peak, plus tax; resort guests get priority | Around 350 to 395 pounds peak on Castle Stuart; 2026 stay and play from about 835 to 905 pounds per person covering both courses |
| Season | May 8 to October 25 in 2026; mid June to September is prime | April to October; May to September is prime, with long northern daylight |
| Getting there | Fly to Halifax, then about 3 to 3.5 hours by road to Inverness, Cape Breton | Inverness airport is 10 minutes from the gates, with easy UK and European connections |
| Beyond the resort | Highlands Links at Ingonish is the classic Cape Breton add on; otherwise this is a stay put trip | Royal Dornoch, Nairn, Castle Stuart's Moray Firth neighbors and Cruden Bay all within day trip range |
Fees verified June 2026 from the resorts' published rates and packages; Cape Breton rates carry 14 percent tax on top. Always confirm directly before booking. Check tee times · Check hotel rates.
Who should pick which
Pick Cabot Cape Breton if...
You want the all in resort week where the golf never stops and never dips. Mornings on the Links, afternoons on the Cliffs, the Nest with a drink in hand before dinner, then do it again: the walk from lodge to first tee is minutes, and the two courses are different enough, Whitman's ground game links against Coore and Crenshaw's clifftop drama, that the third and fourth rounds reveal more than the first. It suits the buddies group that wants zero logistics after landing and treats the remoteness as a feature. Our Cabot Links vs Cabot Cliffs head to head settles the internal argument, and Bandon Dunes vs Cabot Cape Breton places it against its American rival. See also our best courses in Canada ranking and Golf in Canada hub.
Pick Cabot Highlands if...
You want a great resort and the Scottish Highlands around it. Old Petty is brand new in 2026 and the chance to play a Doak course in its opening season, before the rankings settle, is a genuine draw; Castle Stuart remains one of the most playable, most beautiful modern links in Scotland. Then the radius does the rest: Inverness and the Highlands puts Royal Dornoch, Nairn, Brora and Fortrose inside an hour, and our Highlands green fee guide prices the supporting card. It is the easier flight, the gentler budget once packages are counted, and the better week for any group that wants variety, history and a different clubhouse every night. Start with Scotland golf holidays for how the full trip assembles.
The honest tiebreak: if you have done Scotland twice and never seen Nova Scotia, Cape Breton will feel like a discovery. If you have done neither, the Highlands trip teaches you more about why this game exists, and in Old Petty's first summer it carries the rarest thing in golf travel: a great course nobody you know has played yet.
Plan your Cabot golf trip
Clifftop Canada or the Moray Firth with a brand new Doak: tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge prices both routes to the head, with no obligation.
Cabot Cape Breton vs Cabot Highlands questions
Is Cabot Cape Breton or Cabot Highlands the better golf trip?
For pure course quality in one place, Cabot Cape Breton: Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links are both ranked among the best courses in the world and sit side by side in Inverness, Nova Scotia. For the timelier trip, Cabot Highlands: Tom Doak's Old Petty opened in May 2026 beside the Castle Stuart links, and Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Cruden Bay are all within reach of Inverness, Scotland.
How much does each Cabot resort cost to play in 2026?
Indicative 2026 rates: Cabot Cape Breton green fees run from around CAD 190 in the shoulder weeks to roughly CAD 450 per round at the summer peak, plus tax, with resort guests getting the best access. At Cabot Highlands, a peak summer round on the Castle Stuart links runs around 350 to 395 pounds, and 2026 stay and play packages covering both courses start around 835 to 905 pounds per person. Always confirm directly before booking.
What is new at Cabot Highlands in 2026?
Old Petty, the resort's second 18, designed by Tom Doak, held its grand opening on May 15, 2026 after preview play in 2025. The 400 year old Castle Stuart is visible from 13 of its 18 holes, and it turns Cabot Highlands into a genuine two course destination on the Moray Firth, ten minutes from Inverness airport.
Which Cabot resort is easier to get to?
Cabot Highlands, comfortably. It sits ten minutes from Inverness airport, with one stop connections from most of the world via the London and Amsterdam hubs, and the wider Highlands golf of Royal Dornoch and Nairn around it. Cabot Cape Breton means flying to Halifax and driving roughly three to three and a half hours to Inverness, Nova Scotia. The remoteness is part of the magic, but it costs you most of a travel day each way.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Fees and opening dates verified June 2026 against resort published rates and announcements. Last reviewed June 2026.