“Old” and “petty.”
In isolation, the words might sound unflattering.
Strung together, though, and attached to a Tom Doak-designed golf course in Scotland, they take on a very different ring.
The course in question is a project-in-the-making that will add to the offerings at Cabot Highlands, in Inverness, Scotland, one of the jewels in the growing Cabot crown — Cabot being the headline-making Canada-based golf development company whose international portfolio now includes properties (or properties in progress) in Nova Scotia, Saint Lucia, British Columbia and Central Florida.
Until recently, Doak’s design at Cabot Highlands, which will be a sister course to Castle Stuart, the celebrated four-time Scottish Open venue, had not been named. But that changed early this month, when Cabot came forth with the news: the course will be called Old Petty, a nod to an historic local landmark, the Old Petty Church, which was built in 1839 and borders the Cabot property.
Along with the name, Cabot also unveiled a logo for the course. It, too, is locally inspired: a tribute to the highland cow, a regional breed that locals affectionally refer to as the “hairy coo.”
Old Petty, which will wind along a tidal estuary, bringing golfers close to another local landmark (400-year-old Castle Stuart), is scheduled to open for preview play in 2025. At that time, the club also plans to unveil an expanded 11,000-square-foot clubhouse with a whisky and cigar bar, a clubhouse grill and a chophouse.
All of the above is meant to bolster the allure of a highlands destination that currently welcomes play on Castle Stuart, a Gil Hanse-Jim Wagner design that ranks 89th on GOLF Magazine’s list of Top 100 Courses in the World.