Golfers around the world undoubtedly have a bucket list of courses they hope to one day play. At the top of this list for most is the pilgrimage to the home of golf. To stand on the first tee of the Old Course at St. Andrews is one of those life changing moments that golfers dream of. I can personally attest that the Old Course doesn't disappoint and traveling to Scotland is everything you have heard and more. While the photos below tell a great story of the sites you will see in a Scotland adventure, there is a lot more to the story that I would like to tell you. So please browse the photos below and then read about my favorite area of Scotland and my friend and client Mark Parsinen who has built and designed one of the most wonderful modern courses in Scotland.
It is now time for you to read about my favorite location in Scotland. You just took a journey from the Old Course at St. Andrews all the way to Loch Ness and while I didn't find Nessie the Highlands of Scotland definitely left an impact on my life. The quiet, rich beauty of the Highlands will forever be stamped in my memory and the golf was beyond incredible. While Royal Dornoch has the accolades and the notoriety it is another course that stood out as the best course in the Highlands.
Castle Stuart stands alone as the most amazing course I played on this vacation. While the famous old courses were amazing and rich with history, Castle Stuart was a great blend of classic and modern golf. The designer who is the words of my fiance is "the Walt Disney of golf course design" really created a course for everyone. Never before have I played a course with so many signature holes. Nearly every hole felt like you were isolated from the rest of the world. Unlike most courses that have views of parking lots, golfers on other holes and the occasional restroom, Castle Stuart was designed with the thought of eliminating visual clutter and making the hole stand out instead. Even the parking lot is hidden from golfers view at Castle Stuart. I had the privilege of playing this course numerous times with the designer and owner Mark Parsinen. Hearing his views on golf course design and discovering all the little nuances he used to create each hole was beyond fascinating. The use of infinity greens that gave amazing views of the Moray Firth is something that I still reflect on and wonder why more courses don't use this technique. Take my advice, when visiting the Highlands you want to play Castle Stuart along with Royal Dornoch.
While I feel like I could sit down and write a novel about my experiences in Scotland, this blog was meant to give you a brief view of the adventures that await you in this wonderful country. In closing I have attached a link about Castle Stuart golf course and the design process of this modern marvel. Castle Stuart Ethos Documentary