For the scenery alone, the Scottish Highlands is a top bucket-list destination Then there’s whisky!
Royal Dornoch sat at the peak of the Highlands experience, but it’s a long way to go for a round or two of golf, almost a four-hour drive from St. Andrews. Then along came Mark Parsinen, who, along with Gil Hanse, created the breathtaking Castle Stuart Golf Links from a few arable fields overlooking the Moray Firth much like he had with the hugely popular Kingsbarns in the Kingdom of Fife.
Castle Stuart opened in 2009 and has hosted the Scottish Open several times. The late Parsinen’s dream was to build another course alongside his Highland sanctum, and now his hope has been realized. Purchased by the Canadian Cabot Collection in 2022, Castle Stuart was renamed Cabot Highlands and later this year will open a second course, Old Petty, named after the nearby hamlet and church with the emblematic Highland Cow or ‘Hairy Coo’ as its trademark. Tom Doak’s design runs along a scenic river estuary.
The Great North Road to the Highlands now makes for a viable golf getaway, and there are a host of other courses worth considering along the way, including Brora, Boat of Garten, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, and the superb seaside links at Nairn.