Cabot Highlands Unveils Old Petty
18th hole on the Old Petty course at Cabot Highlands
When Cabot Highlands, the reimagined home of Castle Stuart Golf Links, announced the arrival of Old Petty, the golfing world sat up. The new 18-hole course, designed by Tom Doak with input from associate Clyde Johnson, has been conceived as a modern tribute to the rugged, ancient links that long defined Scotland’s coastline. For August and September 2025 Cabot will allow players a rare early glimpse of the routing in a preview play window that promises to reshape visitors’ expectations of what a contemporary Highland links can be.
Old Petty takes its name, and its spirit, from the small but storied landscape that surrounds it. The routing threads close to Old Petty Church and runs alongside a tidal estuary, bringing golfers into intimate contact with the shoreline and the 400-year old Castle Stuart, a landmark that features in the vistas of no fewer than 13 of the course’s 18 holes. Doak’s brief was straightforward: build a course that looks and feels as though it has always belonged to this piece of coast, with holes that are subtle and dramatic. The result is a collection of holes that are rich in strategic decisions and framed by the raw beauty of the Moray Firth.
Par 3, 3rd green at Old Petty
For the 2025 season, Cabot Highlands has opened Old Petty for a tightly defined preview period from 1 August to 30 September. During this window the experience is intentionally pared back: Old Petty is available as a walking-only course and tee times are offered in coordination with bookings on the established Castle Stuart course, allowing visitors to pair the two experiences. That walking requirement is no accident; it’s a nod to the architect’s belief that links golf should be felt underfoot and that the finer strategic flavours of the holes reveal themselves most clearly when players move on foot.
Tom Doak’s architecture is often associated with bold, minimalist shaping and a reverence for classic links geometry; Old Petty is no exception. Expect a routing that prizes angles over length, where clever placement off the tee and imaginative green complexes reward thought rather than brute power. The course has classic links greens with subtle slopes and bold surrounds, rumpled fescue fairways that create constant variety in stances and lies, deep hollows that gather errant shots, and a parade of challenging par-3s that will demand careful club selection in the wind. While the course is approachable from a variety of tees, many holes are shorter than their modern championship counterparts, the strategic complexity makes every round feel like a chess match with the elements.
Approach to the par 5 10th hole at Old Petty
Cabot’s acquisition and development of the Castle Stuart site, and the subsequent creation of Old Petty, represent a significant investment in Highland golf tourism. Castle Stuart itself has long been regarded as one of Scotland’s most beautiful modern links, and Old Petty adds a second, dramatically different layer to the property’s appeal. Together the two courses allow Cabot Highlands to market a dual-course destination: a well-established championship layout complemented by a new, architecturally important links that speaks directly to lovers of classic strategy and rugged coastal scenery. The company’s ambitions are clear, to establish a multi-course Highland hub that can rival the finest seaside offerings in the UK and beyond.
For golfers planning a pilgrimage in 2025, Old Petty’s preview green fee has been set at a premium but is positioned as accessible compared with the Castle Stuart rate, which remains at a higher band. Booking arrangements during the preview are coordinated to ensure players can combine both rounds in a single trip, an attractive proposition for international visitors and British golfers seeking a links double-header. Doak and Cabot have also flagged that the preview is a working period: playing conditions will be excellent for experience and first impressions, but the course will continue to evolve as it settles in.
Par 4 13th hole at Old Petty
The first players to post impressions of Old Petty describe a course that rewards thought and puts a premium on ground game creativity. While some observers noted a ‘lower key’ public opening, without a lavish launch event, the mood on site has been quietly celebratory: golfers have relished the chance to walk a new Doak routing. Early reviews emphasise the course’s integration into the landscape and the dramatic outlook from many tee boxes, rather than any attempt to mimic the voluminous bunkering or tourist-friendly theatrics of some newer venues. Those who appreciate minimalist, strategic design say Old Petty feels authentic and immediately at home.
Old Petty’s long-term potential is significant. It will provide Cabot Highlands with a genuine two course offering that attracts high-value visitors, supports on-site accommodation, and raises the profile of the Highland golfing circuit. There are even broader implications for Scottish golf: another high-quality modern links of this pedigree strengthens the case for hosting top-level events in the north and diversifies the products available to the international touring market. For now, however, the most important thing is the golf itself, an expression from Tom Doak that whispers of history while playing crisply in the present.
Par 3, 14th green at Old Petty
Old Petty’s preview play at Cabot Highlands is more than a soft opening; it is an invitation to experience a carefully considered modern links in the country where links golf was born. Whether you are a devoted student of course architecture, a Highlands-bound visitor planning a short golf pilgrimage, or a local golfer curious about a new neighbour, the preview window running through August and September 2025 offers a rare chance to walk and play a Tom Doak course in its formative weeks. Watch for Old Petty’s gradual settling and be prepared for a course that asks you to think a few shots ahead, a refreshingly classic demand in a modern age.
Discover more and begin planning your Old Petty experience at cabothighlands.com.