{"id":518205,"date":"2026-03-06T13:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/518205\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T13:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:19:16","slug":"not-one-but-two-new-courses-in-the-last-decade-near-the-capital-of-the-highlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/518205\/","title":{"rendered":"Not One But Two New Courses In The Last Decade Near The Capital Of The Highlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

My most recent golfing trip to Inverness followed hot on the heels of a visit to Royal Dornoch<\/a>. My base was Lochardil House, a late 19th-century Victorian mansion on the southern outskirts that is one of seven excellent Highland Coast Hotels properties.<\/p>\n

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\"Lochardil\n<\/p>\n

Lochardil House on the southern outskirts of Inverness was the ideal base for this trip<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Highland Coast Hotels)<\/p>\n

Before availing myself of my good-sized room (and a cracking breakfast) there, I\u2019d organised a game at Alness, halfway between Dornoch and the hotel and one of a few courses in the area I\u2019d not previously played.<\/p>\n

The scorecard fails to hit 5,000 yards by a tiny margin, but this should not deter you. Far from it. I enjoyed every minute of my peaceful round on a gloriously sunny day, savouring the views and several fine holes, and often playing from the kind of springy moorland turf that can flatter one\u2019s striking a tad.<\/p>\n

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\"Alness\n<\/p>\n

Alness: just under 5,000 yards but still a cracking place to play<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)<\/p>\n

The 9th is a stunning par 4 that would be a worthy addition to any course, playing down past a drystone wall before rising to the green. I was particularly pleased to make par after a collision with a tree left me an unexpectedly long approach.<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

The superb par-4 9th at Alness Golf Club<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)<\/p>\n

The 12th is another magnificent par 4 that drops markedly before climbing to a splendid green complex, while the 14th tee is one of the scariest you\u2019ll ever stand on.<\/p>\n

As you plunge down to the lower level by a fast-flowing river for the final stretch, there is no good miss on a nerve-jangling drive where many a reload must be required.<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

Yes, that small patch of grass in the middle of the photo really is your target from the 14th tee, where this photo was taken<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)<\/p>\n

A fine replacement<\/p>\n

I enjoyed more Indian summer weather next day at King\u2019s in Inverness, which opened in 2019 to replace the Torvean course following changes to the local road and bridge network.<\/p>\n

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Plenty of the former course is still traceable over the road and even some old tee-viewing steps, as I discovered on a recce.<\/p>\n

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\"Tee\n<\/p>\n

These tee-viewing steps are still there on the former Torvean course across the road<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)<\/p>\n

The 3rd and 4th are both strong holes with woods away to the left and I really liked the par-5 5th, which curves left and over a stone wall, with a hidden bunker waiting for those trying to feed one in from the left.<\/p>\n

After the lovely downhill par-3 7th, which plays past a pond, the climb to the higher ground starts in earnest on the 8th and continues in style on the superb 11th, a majestic hole that takes you to the highest point and the dangerous 12th, where everything slopes right towards an oft-visited penalty area.<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

The 11th hole at the King\u2019s Club in Inverness climbs to the highest point<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)<\/p>\n

The descent gathers pace on the par-4 14th, where you can open your shoulders, and continues on the 15th, a big par 5 straight down the hill. I left feeling that King\u2019s perhaps hasn\u2019t shouted loudly enough about itself since opening.<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

Looking back up the 14th hole at King’s where you can really open your shoulders<\/p>\n

(Image credit: King’s Golf Club, Inverness)<\/p>\n

Doak\u2019s Cabot newcomer<\/p>\n

If King\u2019s was young, my final course hadn\u2019t even started teething yet. Old Petty at Cabot Highlands<\/a> only opened for preview play last autumn and I was lucky enough to get it on another beautiful day.<\/p>\n

There may still be some bedding in required here and there ahead of spring 2026\u2019s full opening, but I was impressed with Tom Doak\u2019s layout, which plays right beside the striking 17th-century Castle Stuart on the downhill par-3 3rd – far closer than on the original Castle Stuart Golf Links<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The excellent 4th skirts round the marshy reeds to an unusual green, with the arrow-straight 5th then taking you to the early halfway hut with its vibrant red roof.<\/p>\n

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\"Halfway\n<\/p>\n

The vibrant red roof means you can’t miss the halfway hut at Old Petty<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jeremy Ellwood)<\/p>\n

The 7th boasts an intriguing grass bunker greenside, then, after some testing holes over a more inland stretch, you head back down to the Moray Firth on the tempting 13th before flanking an inlet on the handsome downhill 14th.<\/p>\n

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\"Old\n<\/p>\n

The Old Petty course gets right down to the Firth midway through the back nine<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Jacob Sjoman)<\/p>\n

The long 15th hugs this inlet as it sweeps left before you then drive over the reeds on 16, where the carry perhaps looks a little more daunting than it really is.<\/p>\n

After a final wave to the imposing castle, you return to the clubhouse via the cheeky par-3 17th with its raised green, and the shortish par-4 18th, which crosses the 1st hole.<\/p>\n

Alness
Par 67, 4,997 yards
Green fees: \u00a340<\/p>\n

King\u2019s, Inverness
Par 70, 6,634 yards
Green fees: \u00a350-\u00a385; twilight \u00a340<\/p>\n

Cabot Highlands
Old Petty: par 71, 6,580 yards
Green fees: \u00a3385<\/p>\n

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\"Lochardil\n<\/p>\n

The conservatory restaurant is a great place to eat at Lochardil House<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Highland Coast Hotels)<\/p>\n

Stay Lochardil House
Stratherrick Road, Inverness, IV2 4LF
W: highlandcoasthotels.com<\/p>\n

(Prices correct at date of publication in March 2026)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My most recent golfing trip to Inverness followed hot on the heels of a visit to Royal Dornoch.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-518205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/518206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}