Balnaglack Farmhouse, Dalcross,
nr Inverness, Inverness-shire IV2 7JL
Office
+44 (0)1463 796 111 (bookings)Pro shop
+44 (0)1463 795 440Fax
+44 (0)1463 796 127Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Gillian Stewart (multiple Ladies European Tour winner).The Course:
18 holes. Coastal links-style. Gently undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Seaside (Petty Bay, Moray Firth) and rural countryside.
Designer:
Tom Doak
Above distances are for the Old Petty course (interesting to note that all the hole yardages on Old Petty are a multiple of 5, with all ending in 0 or 5). Also at Cabot Highlands is the 18-hole Castle Stuart course (par-72; 7009 yds; rating 74.7; designed by Mark Parsinen & Gil Hanse).
57.517296
-4.109247
6 miles NE of Inverness
From Inverness follow the A96 east, direction Nairn. After 4 miles turn left onto the B9039, direction Castle Stuart. After 1.5 miles golf entrance is on your left. The Castle Stuart and Old Petty courses share the same clubhouse.
Cabot Highlands (Old Petty)
Cabot Highlands (Old Petty course): Old Petty is the second top-quality championship course to be built at Cabot Highlands. The newcomer, which joined the existing Castle Stuart course in 2025, was designed by renowned American golf course architect Tom Doak.
Old Petty may not quite hit the dizzy scenic heights of its older sibling, but the gently undulating layout offers another 18 excellent golf holes, with plenty of vistas onto Petty Bay and the Moray Firth, and inland to Culloden Moor and the distant Highlands.
This excellently crafted and scenic stablemate to the original Castle Stuart course also sits high amongst the UK's top-rated modern links layouts. With its smooth elegant lines, good-width fairways and absorbing unfussy persona, there is much to admire in Doak's design. And much to see too ... not least old Castle Stuart itself, which you play right alongside at the long downhill par-3 3rd and returning uphill par-4 16th. Another "ancient" building is the bright red-roofed bothy that serves as a welcome half-way house; it sits alongside the par-5 5th green.
The round starts with the first fairway crossing the 18th, which you may barely notice. There's a “wetland” section in play at the doglegging par-4 4th, and a handsomely bunkered par-5 at 8, which plays back towards the castle. Conditioning throughout is excellent, as is Doak's wonderful variety of undulating greens and mesmerising green-surrounds.
Pick of the holes: on this out-and-back layout, the short par-4 13th and long par-3 14th sit at the westerly edge of the layout, farthest from the clubhouse. This scenic pair are fun holes to play, while their picture perfect infinity greens herald the most scenic stretch of the course. With the iconic Art Deco style clubhouse coming into view, beware the wee demon par-3 at 17; the deep revetted bunkering fronting the green is not to be entered into lightly.
Stay&Play at Cabot Highlands: luxury onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends during golf season (April thru' mid-Nov).
Must book in advance. Proof of handicap may be requested.
Contact club for full details, discounts, day tickets, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2026].
Castle Stuart and Old Petty are walking-only courses. A limited number of golf carts available (if booked in advance and supported by a medical certificate). Caddies available if pre-booked.
Excellent
Old Petty: the course takes its name from the area on which it is laid out, Newton of Petty (in Scottish, Newton means new town or new farmstead). The tidal inlet (off the Moray Firth), which you look at from the course, is known as Petty Bay.
The bay lies five miles east of Inverness, with records showing that the Petty parish was quite a busy area in days gone by. Goods were often unloaded from boats and ships at rudimentary harbours in the parish, to avoid the shore dues in Inverness. There were also fishing communities along the stretch of coast that runs westward from Ardesier to Alturlie Point (at the western end of Petty Bay).
The Clubhouse: Cabot Highlands' distinctive clubhouse is built in the Streamline Moderne style of Art Deco architecture. An earlier famous example of this style is the clubhouse of Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Lancashire.
Scotland's 34th best course (Golf World, 2025).
Britain & Ireland's 69th best course (Golf World, 2026).
Balnaglack Farmhouse, Dalcross, nr Inverness IV2 7JL.
+44 1463 796 111
Visit websiteCabot Highlands offers a range of onsite accommodation, including the Farmhouse (sleeps 8), Golf Lodge (sleeps 6) and Castle Cottage (sleeps 8). All have been recently refurbished and offer comfortable onsite accommodation. The actual castle itself (Castle Stuart) is a classic Scottish baronial castle, currently being refurbished. In future it will offer 5-star luxury boutique-style hotel accommodation.
Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart and Old Petty courses).
No
Inverness; Nairn; Nairn Dunbar
Culloden, Inverness IV2 7BZ
+44 (0)1463 790 461
Visit websiteCulloden House Hotel is one of the finest luxury hotels in Scotland, and the recipient of numerous awards and accolades for its accommodations and fine cuisine. The house is a fine Georgian mansion incorporating much of the original fortified house/castle within its structure.
No
Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart and Old Petty courses); Inverness GC.
Nairn; Nairn Dunbar
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