Castle Stuart Golf Links Est. 2009

Joining the revered names of Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Cruden Bay, Castle Stuart has added another coastal treasure to the immensely scenic Highlands golf trail. In an area steeped in the history of Scotland's House of Stuart and the blood-curdling Battle of Culloden, this exciting new course commands spectacular views from all its wonderfully crafted holes. Whether at the sea's edge (the case on the first three holes of each nine-hole loop), or up on the course's higher elevations, the views are stunning beyond compare. Among the spectacular vistas, the Moray Firth, Chanonry Peninsula, Black Isle, Highland mountains and Inverness's Kessock Bridge all feature prominantly. The layout itself combines the smooth lines of a modern design with the rugged surroundings of a much older layout. Several "infinity" greens provide spectacular tee and approach shots, with either the Firth, the mountains or Castle Stuart itself providing the "infinity" backdrops. "Ease of play" considerations (at least from the tee) have produced the only weaker element in the course's armoury. From time to time the fairways are so generous as to be virtually unmissable. The large and extravagantly undulating greens are matched by the exuberance of some of the bunkering. A mix of revetted pot bunkers and more expansive, rustic bunkering reaches epic proportions with an elaborate sand hazard separating the 5th and 6th fairways, and a dramatic sand cliff flanking the fabulous par-4 13th's tee-boxes. Castle Stuart is as scenic as any course in Scotland, but its also amongst the most expensive - nearly double the visitor green fee of its Highland peers !