A drive to redevelop the Castle Stuart golf resort will create a gateway destination for the Highlands and bring hundreds of jobs, the new owners say.
Canadian operator Cabot is also targeting major tournaments for the area, including a return of the Scottish Open last held at Castle Stuart in 2016.
Cabot acquired the business, now called Cabot Highlands, last month as its first venture into Europe.
Ideal visitor hub
It aims to build a second championship course and luxury accommodation, with an initial 130 beds, within three years.
Cabot CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar believes the site’s location next to Inverness Airport, with direct connections to London and Amsterdam, makes it an ideal visitor hub.
The company’s first property, Cabot Cape Breton, which sits between the Atlantic Ocean and another town of Inverness, opened in 2012.
It is home to two world class golf courses, as well as a par 3 course. The resort, providing 300 beds in a golf lodge and on-course properties, employs 500 people.
A similar number of jobs could eventually be created at Cabot Highlands, which currently has the Castle Stuart Golf Links course, a recently-constructed par 3 course and three guest lodges.
Castle Stuart Golf Links, built by Gil Hanse and the late Mark Parsinen, opened in 2009.
The new course will be designed by acclaimed golf course architect Tom Doak and will play around the 400-year-old castle.
Planning will begin this autumn with completion expected in 2024.
Speaking exclusively to the Press and Journal, Mr Cowan-Dewar said he first visited Castle Stuart in 2009.
“If you said then I’d be sitting here now 13 years later I would be very surprised.
“The work that Mark and Gil did here stands on its own and the chance to be part of it was too good to pass up.
“I have to pinch myself at having the opportunity to build a golf course on the sea in Scotland and do it alongside something of this quality.
Striking similarities between Cabot resorts in Scotland and Canada
“My family history is Scottish. I love the country and the people and I’ve always had a special feeling for the Highlands.
“Golf here is so special, it’s soul-stirring. The potential to add to that and create a destination around it is amazing.”
He said there is striking similarities between the two resorts: “Both have remarkable locations, the natural beauty just hits you.
“They have a wonderful culture of welcoming people. They look similar, the grass is the same, the playing surfaces are similar and the weather is similar.”
Since the opening of the Cabot resort, Inverness, Nova Scotia, has seen its population grow from 1,200 to 2,600 and the area become a major draw for golf tourists.
Mr Cowan-Dewar believes developing Cabot Highlands can help attract more visitors to Inverness and other areas such as Nairn, Dornoch, Tain and Brora.
“It really opens the door. If we can do a great job here it anchors the tourism offering and strengthens all of that. That’s the opportunity for me.
“I see the Highlands as a destination that can stand on its own. Hopefully we’re a big part of that.”
He says he is keen to attract a large golf championship, like the Scottish Open that was held at Castle Stuart in 2011-2013 and in 2016.
“It was so exciting as a lover of golf to see the Scottish Open come here. It shines a spotlight on the region.
Hundreds of jobs available
“Getting that TV audience, it would be wonderful.
“If we don’t dream big, we don’t achieve dreams.”
Local MP Drew Hendry, who held an online meeting with Mr Cowan-Dewar, said the Highlands must be able to service the international business from tourism.
He also welcomes the prospect of jobs from the Cabot development.
“Clearly from the comparative business built in Canada there are hundreds of jobs available for the local economy and that is an important factor for us.
“We have to look ahead and make sure quality jobs are available to attract and keep young people and families in the area.”
He said bringing the Scottish Open back north would be “fantastic”.
“When we saw it here last time it was a terrific event. People would be excited about getting another opportunity for that type of event to return to Inverness.”
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