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INVERNESS, Scotland - Wherever Tom Doak and Ben Cowan-Dewar go, big expectations follow.
Now imagine the possibilities with two of the hottest names in golf working together in one of game's most revered, if untapped, golf destinations.
Doak, who has designed more World Top 100 courses (7) than any other architect, and Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot, are embarking on a project that will forever alter the golf landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Cowan-Dewar announced in June the purchase of Castle Stuart - one of Scotland's most scenic and beloved links - and the hiring of Doak to design a second course. The property has been renamed Cabot Highlands, continuing an impressive brand expansion led by Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, the top two resort courses in Canada, and emerging golf communities in British Columbia (Cabot Revelstoke), Florida (Cabot Citrus Farms) and the Caribbean (Cabot St. Lucia).
Castle Stuart has always been ripe for bigger things. At one point, former Castle Stuart Owner and Co-Designer Mark Parsinen tabbed Arnold Palmer Design to build the second course and lead fundraising efforts for the new resort accommodations, but with the passing of Palmer (2016) and Parsinen (2019), the deal fell apart.
Enter the dynamic duo of Doak and Cowan-Dewar, who have known each other for years but never worked together. Doak understands the importance of the second course, not just to Cabot but the Highlands. In early October, I got a chance to see the land and hear Doak wrestle with the tough decisions in creating an engaging links that will interact with Castle Stuart's 400-year-old castle, the Moray Firth and a pronounced ridge overlooking it all.
Tom Doak points out compelling features - a castle, marshy inlet, dramatic ridge line, holes along the Moray Firth, a cluster of old-growth trees & more - on the site of his new course that will break ground next April at #CabotHighlands #CastleStuart in the #ScottishHighlands 🏴 pic.twitter.com/DxRivXHBmK
— Jason Scott Deegan (@WorldGolfer) October 10, 2022
Doak teased that he could build a course with 150 bunkers or none at all. He's just trying to maximize every inch of an intriguing but tricky piece of land. He's not too concerned with building a course to complement Castle Stuart, so long as he designs a links that becomes part of the playing rotation of visitors. There's lots of local competition.
"People come to Scotland to play a variety of golf courses," he said. "They are all seaside and the wind is a factor at all of them, but the featuring is very different from one to the next. I don't think we have to be overly concerned at the beginning that we have to be overly different (than Castle Stuart). As long as it fits in Scotland, whether it's a little more or a little less than (what's here), I don't think it makes a big difference. But we've talked through some interesting twists on concept."
The final routing has not been released to the public yet.
Staying and playing at Cabot Highlands
Castle Stuart already has a lot going for it. The links might be the highest-ranked course close to a public airport in the world. Within minutes of landing at Inverness Airport from London Heathrow, I was inside the clubhouse ready for golf. Our media group started by playing the new, yet-to-be-named nine-hole short course, which will officially debut next year. Its wild greens were created as an homage to the Himalayas putting green in St. Andrews. With every hole less than 100 yards, all golfers need is a wedge, putter and a drink. It will be a focal point and free amenity of the real estate component of Cabot Highlands.
Plans call for fewer than 100 cottages with upscale, modern touches. When the owners are not in residence, their homes will be available as luxury accommodations for visiting guests. More retail, restaurants, communal gathering points and a clubhouse expansion are part of the project. Just like many premier resorts in the United Kingdom, Cabot Highlands will eventually start offering outdoor excursions such as hiking, cycling, fishing, falconry, horseback riding and more.
No matter what comes next, it will be hard to top a day on Castle Stuart, which was co-designed by Gil Hanse. It might be the most fun links in Scotland outside of North Berwick in East Lothian. It's so dynamic, built on shelves of land along the coast that deliver Firth views throughout the round. I'm not sure I've experienced a more "playable" championship links. It's equally adept at hosting the Scottish Open (from 2011-13) as it is your buddies group.
As for the new course, ground will break next spring, and due to construction restraints, work can only be carried out within a six-month window from April 1 to October 1. Clyde Johnson will be the man in the dirt. The hope is for a soft opening in 2024.
The allure of the Highlands
I've long touted the Highlands to be every bit as worthy as St. Andrews for your first golf trip to Scotland. Coupled with Aberdeenshire - home to Trump International Golf Links Scotland, Cruden Bay and Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie Links - we rated the Scottish Highlands 18th in our World Top 100 Golf Destinations in 2021. I last visited in 2015, playing many of the coveted local links - Royal Dornoch's Championship and Struie courses, Nairn, Brora, Tain and Castle Stuart. This time, I checked off The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle - the most expensive tee time in the United Kingdom - and the lesser known but equally inspiring links at Golspie and Fortrose & Rosemarkie. I've still got the 36-hole Moray Golf Club and Nairn Dunbar to see next time. That's how deep the roster of links really is within an hour's drive of Cabot Highlands. GolfPass even offers our own package to see many of these places.
The landforms and water that make the golf so good in the Highlands also translate into incredible outdoor adventures like hiking, boating and fishing. I didn't catch anything fly-fishing the River Ness just minutes from downtown Inverness, but the setting was so glorious that not even a steady rain could dampen the experience. A luxurious lunch of crab legs, seafood paella and wine in the Ness Castle Lodges fishing lodge warmed our bellies and souls afterward. A fishing adventure like this will fit right into the Cabot portfolio as a wonderful day away from the course for golf groups.
It's been a childhood dream of mine to see Loch Ness, so it was a treat to stop for a quick selfie at a small beach on its shores, even if we didn't see infamous monster they call Nessie. Lake cruises - another item to add to my bucket list - are popular in summer time.
A trip to the Highlands, of course, wouldn't be complete without some whiskey. We sampled a selection of smooth-drinking Tomatin in a private event on the third floor of the Castle Stuart's unique nautical-themed clubhouse. There are dozens of other distilleries in the Highlands to tour and taste. I drove by the Glenmorangie Distillery at least three times while visiting Tain and Dornoch, the legendary birthplace of Donald Ross.
Once you get a taste of the Highlands - whether it's the whiskey, the golf or something else - the culture, scenery and people will stick with you, beckoning a return. Thanks to the investment by Cabot, it will become even more welcoming for golfers in the near future.
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