In the early 2000s the American visionary, Mark Parsinen, began planning the design of a golf course on the Moray Firth. Parsinen had been closely involved with the creation of Kingsbarns near St Andrews, which opened to critical acclaim in July 2000. To create this Highlands masterpiece, he enlisted the support of the American architect, Gil Hanse.
From the moment you step onto the first tee box, you’re greeted with stunning views across the Moray Firth, looking out toward some of the most important and historic monuments in the area, such as the Chanonry Lighthouse on the Black Isle peninsula. Although Mark and Gil Hanse were given an undeniably beautiful canvas, their meticulous attention to detail certainly maximised this landscape - the routing is superb, as are the bunkering and sandy waste areas which frame many of the green complexes.
A defining feature of Mark’s vision for Castle Stuart was for all levels of golfer to remain “hopeful and engaged,” as he described it. Visually, the course may seem intimidating, but there is actually plenty of room off the tee. The primary defence of the course, as with any links, is the weather, but the undulating green complexes also demand that better players approach from the correct angles if they wish to score well…
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