"Anybody could play there and have a good time."

John Huggan played Castle Stuart--the new Gil Hanse creation for developer Mark Parsinen in Northern Scotland--and offers a glowing review along with comments from others and a nice mention about the efforts of shaper Jim Wagner.

"Castle Stuart is unbelievable," says European Tour pro Stephen Gallacher. "I think it is the best new course I have ever played. The layout is fantastic, as are the facilities. It looks as though it has been there for ever, completely natural.

"The fairways may be wide at first glance, but you have to attack the greens from the right sides. Plus, there aren't many holes where the high-handicapper couldn't get away with a 'skitter' off the tee. Anybody could play there and have a good time.

"I especially enjoyed the short par-4s, classic risk-and-reward holes where you can take a chance off the tee. That's a nice change from many courses these days where 250-yard par-3s and stupid rough seem to be the norm. In contrast, Castle Stuart is proper golf."

Gallacher speaks the truth, of course. The outwardly generous fairways – 60-80 yards wide in places – at Castle Stuart are a feature increasingly less common in an age where great spaces to drive into are far from the convention at the professional level. There, one-dimensional thinking of officials defines the point of golf as asking players to drive down narrow and constricting corridors of fairway bordered by long grass.

Happily, that sad and depressing scenario is the antithesis of golf at Castle Stuart. With width comes a multitude of options from the tee, affording the player the chance to decide where best to play. This does not make driving easy; as it is at all seaside courses the skill is to drive the ball through the winds to the correct spot on the fairway. So it is that there are many different shots to be had from different sides of the fairways. But one thing is constant: the thoughtful, accurate player can always open the ideal angles that provide for significantly less demanding approach shots.

I've previously posted images of the course here, here, here, here, and here.

Comments

[sir real]

Well the carbon footprint has been and will remain gigantic, that's for sure. Minimalism is isn't. I've read reports of some serious playability issues with shots into some of those exposed, extreme dropoff green complexs during the typically strong winds that are present there. The fact it is nearly twice the asking price for a round @ Royal Dornoch is truely extortionate! There isn't a course on the face of the earth worth twice the price of Dornoch and certainly not in the same backyard during these economic conditions. All that said, it has thought and quality(sans the overdone, aging bunker look in places) in the design and conditioning...hope they can make a go of it.

[chico]

Some colleagues of mine are just back from Castle Stuart and whilst they said the setting was spectacular they were disappointed by the fairway widths-saying there wasnt enough challenge!Perhaps golf is supposed to be painful!These guys play off high single figures.
Despite being wealthy businessmen they also stated that they wouldnt pay the high green fee when Nairn and Dornoch were just round the corner for less than half price.
I'm there next month-cant wait.It looks absolutely fantastic to me.

[Geoff]

Chico,
It must be nice to be them and have the game come so easy!

Ask them which one is the course record holder and how many times they broke par!

[ScottK]

Chico,
I take it those guys just like to go out and rip it, no real thought about where they would prefer to approach flags and the like!!

I played CS not long ago and I am a mid single figure h/cap and loved it, i can be a bit erratic of the tee and you may still be on the fairway far to the left or right and have a very difficult approach in. Just as hard of a shot as you would of had if you were to play it out of the rough!! But i guess those guys would rather have lost a ball in heavy shit!!

And as for the other idiot, if you get the chance to play it, even if its only once you can not complain about the price until you have had the 'experience' of Castle Stuart!!

Scott

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

We await your report, Chico. I plan a similar trip when I win the Lottery! Or maybe even before.

[Chuck]

If tomorrow, Old Tom Morris and Donald Ross were both resurrected to design another Dornoch, and agreed to do it for free, the debt service on a new golf course would require greens fees twice the price of Dornoch, would it not?

[chico]

I think the concept was just lost on these guys.They are so used to penal golf that they almost certainly dont think they've played a championship course unless they lose a few balls!And these are intelligent men that live less than an hour from St Andrews!
Bet they didnt play to their handicaps though.

[mjn]

Carbon Footprint?
Get real sir real

First hand accounts are far more valuable than hearsay
cheers

[sir real]

ScottK, You sir, are a man to be pitied. If you get the chance? All you need is to pay the outlandish fee and be in Scotland!

Mjn, I have walked the ground there champ...if you think tearing up huge acreage, creating
vast, "infinity view"golf courses is responsible golf development and all that comes with it ...in one of the nicest places on earth...pay that bloated fee and enjoy yourself.

Chuck, Dornoch's fee need not be what it is...they have made a few regrettable decisions that cost them funds that shouldn't have been wasted. The reason for the "debt service" include significant costs that could have been avoided and a small dose of simple greed.
I'm not going to chastise folks.Those pompous few on here, that assume others don't have knowledge, only look foolish when they try to belittle others.

Carry on gentlemen, pay extortionate fees if you like...and enjoy your golf!!!