This land had been earmarked for a golf course for some time. Arnold Palmer had developed plans years ago, but when Cabot took over the Castle Stuart property in 2022 they took a different direction. They immediately announced the creation of a second course, with Tom Doak as the architect.
Doak had previously created two courses in the British Isles – The Renaissance Course opened in East Lothian in 2008 and St Patrick’s Links at Rosapenna in Donegal in summer 2021.
I think it’s fair to say that there were different reactions to the two courses. St Patrick’s Links has been heralded as a modern masterpiece. Doak was given a free rein by the owners to create the best course he possibly could, and it shot straight into the GOLF Magazine World Top 100 and has since risen to the top 50. The Renaissance had a slightly more muted response. The brief there had been to create a tough course which could host a PGA tour event. It succeeded in that respect but has never really won the affections of the Scottish people.
Given this background, there will be many eyes on Old Petty. Which type of Doak course would Scotland get this time?
Well, fear not. He has delivered a course which will both delight the Doakistas and please the resort guests. For many Brits, this will be their first experience of a Doak course and they will get a great insight into what has made him the most successful architect since the Second World War.
Firstly, a little about the site. The course is built on what was mainly farmland, so it isn’t what you would call true links terrain. However, under the topsoil, the land turned to gravel and sand, which now forms the base for Old Petty.
Some would say that it’s a lot easier to build a course which ranks highly when you have the benefit of a beautiful setting. From Cape Wickham in the Bass Straits, to Lofoten Links in the Arctic Circle, debates rage as to whether courses are lauded because of their stunning settings or architectural grace. Take the coastline away and it can be harder to impress the ‘retail golfer’.
This site doesn’t have the same spectacular views as next door’s Castle Stuart where you have sensory overload of infinity greens and sweeping vistas of the Moray Firth. This land is mainly away from the water.
On some holes at Old Petty, Castle Stuart Bay estuary comes into play. You play alongside it on the 4th before playing to, and then alongside it, on holes 13-15. But it is not in any way a coastal course.