Early Thoughts From a Too-Early Visit to Cabot Highlands (Old Petty)

Standing on the 13th tee at Old Petty—a par 4 tumbling down the hillside with a long view across the Moray Firth, Gil Hanse’s stunning northern Scottish layout, and the highland mountains in the distance—it is not hard to see why original developer Mark Parsinen wanted not only one, but two golf courses at Castle Stuart. For one, Gil Hanse’s original layout—bearing the original name at the now-branded Cabot Highlands resort—is an exceptional modern faux-links draped over the gorse-infused cliffside with views across the water inlet off the North Sea. Where Royal Dornoch works its way up and down the hillside to provide as many interesting and exciting holes as possible, Castle Stuart does as well, yet in a much more extreme manner. This, no doubt, serviced the demands of golfers either heading up to the Highlands for Brora, Nairn, or Royal Dornoch as a modern addition to their trip—so much so that the layout has been a staple on any “best in the world” rankings. Why not go for two if the first one was so successful?

Even further, Castle Stuart’s lifespan is firmly in the mix of the Bandon Dunes explosion. As Mr. Keiser once famously remarked, “one course is a curiosity, two is a destination,” and seeing the success of his coastal Oregon golf resort take off, plus other competitors like Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia or Barnbougle in Tasmania; or, more recently, Sand Valley, Keiser’s in Texas, Rodeo Dunes, and further Cabot locations in seemingly every corner of the world, Castle Stuart was no doubt in the same category and mindset alike, growing alongside the group.  Plans for a second course were always considered, but for a variety of reasons, never made it past the planning stages until after Mark Parsinen’s death.

That is, until the Cabot Collection came in and purchased Castle Stuart in 2022 after Parsinen’s death. With a quick rebrand to Cabot Highlands—Gil Hanse’s course is still referred to as Castle Stuart—plans for a second course quickly accelerated. The original plans included layouts from Arnold Palmer and other contemporaries, but Cabot was thinking bigger (or perhaps, more in vogue). Enter, Tom Doak, who will officially open Old Petty in the spring of 2026.

The opening green site at Cabot Highlands (Old Petty)

On my maiden visit in October 2024, much of the layout had been completed, with more than half the holes with grass, a handful of others hydro-seeded, and one hole—the 17th—still to shape. For starting in roughly the same location as Gil Hanse’s layout (adjacent to the closing hole on his front nine, with the 2nd tee at Old Petty and the 9th tee at Castle Stuart), the layouts have nearly nothing in common, dramatically separating themselves on two different pieces of ground. For one, Castle Stuart’s property is largely divided into the upper holes that play high above the water and those directly on the shore, whereas Old Petty occupies more farmland characteristics that provides a more gentle, gradual rise and fall. With less elevation change top-to-bottom than Castle Stuart, and less coastline to work with, the task of living up to the legacy of Doak’s once-trainee is certainly a tall task to conquer.

Immediately, though, the golfer will realize the uniqueness of Old Petty—no, literally: the 1st and 18th holes cross over each other, both dogleg lefts with a central ridge splitting the singular, wide fairway in half. Contrived quirk? Perhaps. You would be hard-pressed to ever see this built into another golf course post-1950, but the strategic merit of both holes makes sense from both a playability and interest perspective, and its functionality serves both holes well, too. The 1st, a brilliant opening middle-range par 4, plays to a green sitting into the hillside that separates Castle Stuart from Old Petty. On the low side, a ridge blocks drives from the lower left angle, meaning the ideal play is way out to the right—or away from the 18th’s line of play. Inversely, the 18th, a longer par 4, plays from the low side that ideal strategy on the 1st avoids back up to the high side ridge, but a bunker obscures the view for those playing well to the left (or, immediately in play of the 1st’s preferred angle). Rather, playing way to the outside right side opens up the green and the contours. They still cross, but the holes clearly wouldn’t work if both holes had the same ideal landing area, meaning this is the perfect space to bring this concept to life.

The plan for Old Petty, with the crossing 1st and 18th shown

This jarring, nay, daring start, sets the tone perfectly for Old Petty. Sure, crossing holes—especially in Scotland—are nothing new, but they have been largely abandoned for a more conventional route of architecture: one that, for better or worse, has prioritized safety and space over charm, quirk, and interest. Granted, in practice, it will be interesting to see how this works out, and that will be up to the boots on the ground crew and the operational challenges around that… but if it can work at The Old Course at St Andrews, why can’t it work here? Tom Doak, project lead Clyde Johnson, and their supporting team made the decision to step outside the box, and the layout benefits dramatically from that decision. As a result, there are exciting moments not usually seen in modern practise golfers will likely immediately gravitate towards when the layout opens for preview play in Q3 2025.

The 3rd, as a sterling example, quite literally doglegs left around THE Castle Stuart. A charming, drivable par 4 working down the hillside the 16th eventually will climb out of begins  the transition away from Hanse’s original layout and onto completely foreign territory. Before that, though, the charm of having to start it over the corner of the boundary (or, if one is a righty slice, perhaps the top of Castle Stuart or even the Scottish flag!), or turning the ball around the corner to a green sitting on-grade eventually jutting out around the back fall off seemingly primed to ignite strong match-play scenarios (the varience in what can happen greenside is enthralling, even in the dirt).

After the 3rd, the routing begins to open up and the expected large-size golf comes to life across the hillside overlooking the water that divides the two golf courses at Cabot Highlands. As the golfer walks, they will notice three distinct areas they visit: the opening two and closing two, which play in close-proximity to the original Castle Stuart on the high side of the property; the 3rd and 16th, handling the most severe land on property throwing itself off of and climbing up the hillside; and the 4th-15th, across the Alturlie Bay from Gil Hanse’s charming all-world drivable 4th, par 3, 4th and adventurous 5th. In some respect, the two routings seemingly tell a story of lovers initially, who separate and keep their distance, always within reach (from the 3rd and 4th on Castle Stuart, you can see Old Petty; on much of the 4th-15th, you can see holes on Castle Stuart) of each other. It is as if Old Petty is the blinking red light across the bay in The Great Gatsby, or vice versa: but given the separation that occurs as Old Petty puts the bay of water between the two, the two layouts begin to truly take different directions from a stylistic and strategic perspective.

Perhaps the 4th is not the best example to cite—which, alongside the 16th, provide the only two weaker moments in the routing—but the 5th is yet another moment of uniqueness and one of fondness. Playing across a small burn that flanks the left side, the green on this longer two-shot hole is set directly against an old barn from the farmland of years prior. While the 3rd plays around the castle in a gentle manner, the barn certainly protrudes against the right of the green site on the 5th—oh, and the 6th’s tee, a superb green site sitting flush with the landscape overlooking the Moray Firth.

Looking towards the flag on the 5th (just left of the red garbage bin) with the old farm structure directly to the right

By my count, there are no less than five holes that interact with the remnants of what the property used to be: the second, with its rock wall backdrop; the 3rd, working its way around Castle Stuart and a rock wall long of the green; the 5th and 6th, with its farm house; and the 12th and 13th, with a rock wall flanking the entire left side of both. Where the 1st and 18th might be (successfully done) contrived quirk, utilizing the parts of the property that were there before is brilliant, if not the expectation of such a brilliant architect who, alongside Bill Coore and others, helped usher in what the “minimalism” movement was all about.

Nevertheless, there are “normal” golf holes here; holes where they feel as if they simply discovered, rather than built or designed. Those include more traditional bunkers-as-obstacle holes that produce some standout moments. On the outward nine, golfers will likely gravitate towards the two-shot options at the 2nd and 7th. The former, in particular, for its clever green complex with its middle right depression that, from the right side of the fairway, could potentially act like a double plateau, or from the left side, take on the playing characteristics of a biarritz down the line of the green (though never drawing obvious comparisons to those two Macdonald/Raynor templates). The latter providing a strong, pleasant two-shot par 4 with an attractive bunker scheme. In fact, the 7th immediately jumped off the page as a hole one would want to hit a hundred or more shots just to figure out where to go: on a walk with no range finder or yardage book—the trappings of modern golf experiences, one might say—having no concept of how far the bunkers were to carry, and only a rough guess on how long the hole is, let the architecture speak in a more resounding tone than if you took a Bushnell X3 with slope, altitude, air pressure, humidity, temperature, and anything else they can put into $699, onto the golf course and figured it out that way. The 7th so effortless flows around the bunkers seemingly clawing their way into the fairway that it became an immediate favorite on a first-time visit.

For a golf course name not associated with Castle Stuart, it sure comes into the line of sight a lot. Even when the golfer is situated away from its location, it seemingly looms over Old Petty, watching over the fairways from a distance. Occasionally, though, it acts as a beacon—like a lighthouse for seaside towns to warn sailors of the coast—to help guide golfers throughout the round. No example more evident than the brilliant par 5, 8th—a leading candidate for the best hole here, though time especially with clubs in hand–where this three-shot hole plays over a topographic ridge with two gargantuan bunkers cut into the hillside.

On the tee, a small glimpse of the top of the flag looming at the base of the castle overtop of those big bunkers. For those who get the ball in play, the opportunity to get over those bunkers and utilize the back side of the ridge to funnel the ball down. Miss the fairway, and suddenly, you have to lay up, negociating with the menacing bunkers that seem to take up all the real estate for where one would lay up. The right side does provide a less direct route over the big bunkers; nonetheless, most golfers will have to negociate with them at some point.

The fun comes on the approach—whether the 2nd or 3rd shot—where, given the ridge—the approach is entirely blind. Yet, it’s the castle, that famed Castle Stuart, looming over the 8th that helps act as an aiming pole as you hoist your ball over the ridge and subsequent bunkers.

Following the near heroics of tossing a golf ball up and over the bunkers playing to the collecting 8th green, the routing turns away from the first tee for the final time and begins its climb to the furthest point on the golf course, as well as the highest point since crossing a small water inlet that the routing plays over on the par 4, 4th. Eventually, the routing transports the golfer to tee shot on the 13th with a panoramic view of the Moray Firth and much of the property, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Before that, some strong, quality golf awaits. In an era that is seeing more and more flamboyance creep into the golf courses we see opening at a rapid rate, Doak’s features at Old Petty are anything but. In fact, there is more in resemblance to the gently-resting layouts from some of the all-time great architects like a Harry Colt, Tom Simpson, or James Braid here than nearly anything else that has been built this side of the milennia, which unequivicolly seems to prioritize actual playing characteristics rather than visuals.

That’s not to say there aren’t great optics or looks, either. Especially as the routing transitions to the high side of the used-to-be farm fields overlooking the Moray Firth, long views of the mountains that define the northern part of Scotland, the views of the water than provide such equisite vistas for Gil Hanse’s original Castle Stuart, and the natural vegetation. Nonetheless, there’s a real sense of focus at Old Petty on the true playing chararacteristics in the architecture, rather than just the visuals.

That becomes evident when you rise over the topographic ridge the line of play directly takes you over at the 10th, which showcases a sprawling view across the landscape with a single, large bunker on the line of play (or Max Behr’s “line of charm”). The green seamlessly sitting against the large knoll to the left to further complicate things in such a laid-back, effortless way as if there was no human invovlement in the concepts of the 10th.

Back to the 13th, which looks primed to be in contention for a favourite hole among visitors and an engaging hole for architecture afficiandos all the same. After the climb at the 12th, the table is set: a downhill drive-and-pitch and for some, drivable par 4 with long views of the water. The tee shot is big and wide, though Out of Bounds defined by a stone wall flanks the entire left side, and up the right is a gnarly area splitting up the 11th and the 13th. Yet, there’s a true sense of comfort standing on the tee, tempting the golfer to push the ball as close to the green as they can. The green complex makes those pay for missing anything up the right, meaning those looking to gain an advantage ought to challenge the left—but that’s complicated by the boundary line.

Following the taunting 13th down the hillside, the journey back home finally starts, beginning with two visual feasts. Sure, the whole course is largely one with its surroundings and it utilizes the terrain and long vistas wonderfully, but the 14th and 15th are holes on the banks of the Moray Firth certainly add visual interest as the only coastal holes on the golf course.

As expected from such an established team of contributors, both holes play as well as they look: the 14th, a daunting long par 3 from a high tee plays across rumpled ground, while the 15th continues the trend the par 5, 8th started as an exceptional three-shot hole.

Truthfully, Old Petty’s three par 5’s are standouts among not only the golf course, but modern architecture. Dynamic tee shots define the 10th and 15th, with a surplus of unique second shots—a true rarity when assessing par 5’s (which struggle to find the balance of not being a demanding slog of a hole or not having a shot one can ‘take off’ and get away with it)—on all three, and naturally, sublime Tom Doak greens that rumple and roll as if it was the waves crashing in from the ocean. Old Petty does a lot of things well, but the par 5’s immediately jump off the page. In my mind, a true testiment to Doak’s prowess as an architect and his ability to continue to find ways to challenge and entertain golfers in an area most have struggled with.

Perhaps most interesting of all is the routing, which, in my assessment, feels like they squeezed as much good golf out of the property as they could. In some ways, Tom’s routing feels as if it’s telling the story of the evolution of golf course design: starting closer to the sea (albeit on the high side and set inland a bit) on sandy soils before working its way through a meandering creek, a wetland, and eventually to the farmland on the far side of the site, the routing quite literally links the eras of links-land and modern minimalism where architects aren’t afraid to build (sometimes thousands of miles) inland. The finishing stretch begins along the Moray Firth looking across to Gil Hanse’s 2009 masterpiece and finishes at the high side crossing with the 1st, but in some ways, this, too, feels like an extension of the same story. The dark ages prompted a lot of mush and mediocrity, with a surge of inland, clay-based sites lacking interesting qualities before the minimalism movement brough us back to sandy sites in idyllic locations. Perhaps it might be a stretch, but the walk felt as if the journey was seemingly mimicking the evolution and progress of golf architecture as a whole.

That is somehow packed into eighteen holes, all while continuing to provide unique, fresh looks and an exacting, challenging set of green complexes across interesting terrain. In what seems to be the precipice of the end of minimalism at large—with a surplus of big, bold “maximalism” layouts with big budgets popping up nearly as frequent as those that draw inspiration from Sand Hills—Old Petty continues to fight that mold, never feeling overdone, exhausting, or like it is trying too hard. This is golf to play, not to look at, and all the better for it.

The 18th at Old Petty (left) with the 9th at Castle Stuart (right)