Old Petty Opens for Play at Cabot Highlands
Alex Elias
Clyde Johnson
When Cabot, the developer and operator of luxury residential, resort, and golf destinations—including Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada; Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean; Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia, Canada; Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida, United States; and Cabot Bordeaux in France—acquired Castle Stuart (Scotland) in 2022, a second course was part of the plan. Enlisting Tom Doak as architect, alongside his longtime associate Clyde Johnson, the highly anticipated course, Old Petty, opened on May 15.
“Opening Old Petty is a proud moment for everyone involved,” said Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot. “It builds on the legacy of Castle Stuart while creating something entirely new for golfers to experience here in the Highlands. This is a special piece of land, and Old Petty brings a fresh perspective that feels authentic and enduring.”
Routed along a tidal estuary with sweeping coastline views and alongside the 400-year-old Castle Stuart and adjacent to Old Petty Church, the highlights include crossing fairways on the 1st and 18th holes, dramatic coastal vistas on the 10th hole, a return to the Moray Firth on the 14th hole, and a short Par-3 17th hole.
“It’s a privilege to work in Scotland and just to be back at the heart of it all,” said Tom Doak. “For me and for Clyde, it was important to build something that would appeal to both overseas visitors and the locals — fitting in with the other courses in the area while having something special about it so that you wouldn’t want to miss it. Playing around the 400-year-old Castle Stuart is a pretty good start, and we used the castle as a visual anchor for the routing throughout.”
Paired with Castle Stuart—designed by Gil Hanse and the late Mark Parsinen, and ranked among GOLF’s Top 100 courses in the World—the opening marks another milestone in the transformation of the property, which already features a distinctive art-deco-inspired clubhouse with a restaurant, bar, and top-floor lounge overlooking the Moray Firth; a debut collection of residences now fully spoken for, with a new release forthcoming starting from £2.25M; and charming lodging for immersive stay-and-play experiences.
