Cabot Highlands (Old Petty)

Overview: At Cabot Highlands ~ Old Petty, the links profile for Cabot Highlands ~ Old Petty is listed at 6580 yards and par 71. The routing follows a tidal estuary and the natural folds of the Highlands landscape, moving between open ground, rumpled fairways, natural bunkers and coastal views over the Moray Firth. The course sits beside Old Petty Church, built in 1839, and close to the much older Castle Stuart, so its setting combines working landscape, historic buildings and modern golf. The published back-tee figure is 6,580 yards. Rather than relying on large manufactured hazards, the design uses the existing land, wind and changing sightlines to make position important from the first tee to the short closing hole.

History: Old Petty is the second 18-hole course at Cabot Highlands, following Castle Stuart Golf Links, which dates from 2009. Tom Doak's course was developed as a new companion layout on land beside the original resort course and was previewed before its official grand opening on 15 May 2026. Its name comes from the nearby church and the historic Old Petty area, while the routing was planned to keep the character of the site visible rather than hide it behind a conventional resort template. The opening completes a 36-hole golf destination in the Highlands, but Old Petty has its own design language: closer contact with the estuary, more direct use of the ground's natural ripples and a deliberately different relationship with Castle Stuart.

Did You Know? The official course description says Doak's routing passes close to the roughly 400-year-old Castle Stuart, while the 10th and 14th return to the Moray Firth. The short 17th is another unusual moment: a par three near Old Petty Church before the final hole crosses back toward the opening ground.