About Old Petty
Old Petty course is Cabot Highlands’ 18-hole links layout in Dalcross, near Inverness, beside the Moray Firth. Its Tom Doak routing uses a tidal estuary, the grounds around Castle Stuart and Old Petty Church as fixed points in a newly opened Highland round.
Key Features & Highlights
• Four tee options range from 4,950 to 6,580 yards before reaching the 7,080-yard Black tee, all set at par 71.
• The opening and closing holes cross, creating a deliberate physical connection between the course’s first stroke and its final stretch.
• Old Petty normally operates on foot, keeping the route’s movement across the Cabot Highlands land integral to the day.
• Pre-booked caddies are available through Cabot Highlands for visitors who want assistance during the round.
Course Overview
The Old Petty course takes shape at Cabot Highlands in Dalcross, near Inverness, where the course meets the Moray Firth. This is an 18-hole, par-71 links course whose reported routing follows a tidal estuary, runs around Castle Stuart and runs alongside Old Petty Church. Those three landmarks give the course a particularly legible sense of place: water at the edge of the land, Castle Stuart in the middle distance, and a church that lends its name to the round.
At 7,080 yards from the Black tees, Old Petty presents a full-scale walk through land that belongs to a 420-acre Cabot Highlands property. The course is a modern routing placed among existing features with long local associations, allowing the round to move between open links ground and the estate’s more recognisable architectural markers.
A contemporary course with old reference points
Tom Doak designed Old Petty as a links course, and the available course information makes clear that the landforms and landmarks are central to its identity. The routing uses the tidal estuary, Castle Stuart and Old Petty Church as points around which the holes are arranged. For a travelling golfer, that is the defining proposition: this is a new course in the Inverness area, but one whose route repeatedly acknowledges the ground and buildings already there.
The church is particularly important to the course’s character. Old Petty Church sits alongside the golf, giving the name a physical presence rather than simply a commemorative one. Castle Stuart, meanwhile, provides another fixed landmark on the route. The course’s architectural story is therefore less about a single signature hazard than the relationship between holes and their surroundings.
That approach also distinguishes Old Petty from a course assessed primarily through scorecard figures. The figures establish the scale of the test, but they do not explain the experience of moving around a tidal edge or playing in the vicinity of a church and castle. The course’s official material places those elements at the centre of its description, and they are the details most likely to stay in mind when planning the round.
How the round is arranged
One confirmed piece of routing drama comes at the start and finish: the 1st and 18th holes cross. It is an unusual compositional decision, placing the opening and closing stretches in direct relation to one another rather than separating arrival from return. On a course designed for walking, it gives the round a defined shape from its earliest moments through to its final hole.
Beyond that detail, publicly supplied information does not provide a hole-by-hole architectural account, a bunker count or descriptions of individual green contours. It would be premature to assign strategic labels to holes without fuller design material. What can be said is that Old Petty has four sets of tees, all playing to the same par, allowing the course to be approached at different overall lengths without altering the basic structure of the round.
This matters for visitors considering Cabot Highlands as a golf destination. Old Petty should be understood as its own complete course rather than a short companion circuit: it has a conventional 18-hole scale, a substantial championship-length back tee, and a route with its own named landmarks. Golfers who value design context may find that clearer than broad claims about severity or shot values, neither of which is established by the available information.
The Moray Firth setting
The Moray Firth is not a decorative reference in Old Petty’s description. The course is specifically identified as being beside it, with the tidal estuary part of the route. That places water and a tidal landscape in the course’s geographical frame, though visitors should avoid assuming particular playing conditions on any given day. No verified local wind, turf-firmness or seasonal-conditioning guidance has been supplied.
The location places the course at Cabot Highlands, Dalcross, Inverness, IV2 7JL. For golfers building a Highland itinerary, this offers a straightforward geographical reference. The club’s booking operation handles visitor play, so the appropriate first step is to make arrangements through Cabot Highlands rather than treating the course as a walk-up option.
Planning an Old Petty golf break
The published 2026 visitor season runs from 15 May to 14 November. Advance booking is required, and visitors are accepted on both weekdays and weekends during that period. These details are worth addressing early, especially for golfers coordinating flights, accommodation and tee times around Inverness.
Old Petty normally operates as a walking-only course. That policy makes the walk part of the practical calculation, rather than an optional extra to be settled on arrival. Limited buggy access is reserved for golfers with a medical certificate and remains subject to availability; caddies can be arranged when booked in advance.
The visitor journey begins with preparation rather than assumptions. Confirm the desired tee, walking requirements and caddie request at the same time as the tee time. The official Cabot Highlands course page and scorecard remain the most useful references for current operational detail.
Sources: Cabot Highlands, Old Petty course page and Cabot Highlands Old Petty scorecard.
History & Heritage
Old Petty officially opened on 15 May 2026, after preview play during 2025. The course was designed by Tom Doak and added a second full 18-hole layout to Cabot Highlands’ Dalcross holding. Its name comes from Old Petty Church, which sits alongside the course and provides a direct connection between the new routing and an established local landmark.
The significance of Old Petty’s opening lies in that contrast. It is a contemporary construction whose route is framed by a church, Castle Stuart and the tidal ground near the Moray Firth. The result is a new chapter in Highland golf development built around pre-existing features rather than detached from them.
Insider Tips & Visitor Information
1. Confirm Your Season: Visitor golf is scheduled from mid-May until mid-November in 2026: Secure a tee time in advance through Cabot Highlands, as published access applies on both weekdays and weekends but is not described as walk-up play.
2. Choose Tees Early: The scorecard offers Black, White, Green and Red options: Ask the booking team to confirm the tee most appropriate for your group before travel, rather than making that decision around a potentially busy first tee.
3. Arrange A Caddie: Caddies are available only when reserved ahead of time: Include the request with the original booking, particularly if you prefer support with the course’s new-to-you routing and its named landmarks.
4. Plan For Walking: Normal play is walking-only: Golfers needing a buggy should raise the matter well before arrival, as a medical certificate is required and the limited available buggies cannot be guaranteed.
