Cabot, the Canadian-based founders of golf destinations including Cabot Cape Breton and the under-development Cabot Saint Lucia, has acquired Castle Stuart in Inverness, near the Scottish Highlands. The course and surrounding master-planned resort community will be rechristened Cabot Highlands.

“Castle Stuart has been considered a benchmark of exceptional Scottish golf since it first opened thirteen years ago,” Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot, said in a statement. “We are honored to be a steward of the land and carry the original vision for the property forward.” Amenities will include upscale cottages, retail, restaurants and additional outdoor recreations.

Castle Stuart was the second Scottish golf project by the late Parsinen, who passed away in 2019. The course, currently ranked No. 72 on the Golf Digest World’s 100 Greatest Courses list, was among the handful of original designs by Hanse and partner Jim Wagner that established their reputation among the leading modern golf architects, helping them land the coveted commission for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic course.

The addition of Cabot Highlands gives Cabot three of the top 100 international courses, along with Cabot Cliffs (No. 10) and Cabot Links (No. 39).

Just as compelling is the announcement of a planned second course by architect Tom Doak and his Renaissance Design group. Doak will get an important assist from associate Clyde Johnson, an English-born designer who lives in Scotland. A talented designer in his own right, Johnson has helped Doak build courses as far afield as Nebraska, Ireland and New Zealand. The Cabot Highlands project will be a well-deserved home game.

Though it looks the part, Castle Stuart is not a true links course. It was fabricated from farmland along the coast of Moray Firth. The second course will occupy similar land to the south and west of the original course. The low holes, close to the water, will be sand-capped for drainage and to enable the architects to create links-like features in the ground.

“I’ve been lucky to work on a lot of links sites and I appreciate the difficulty of trying to create artificial linksland,” Doak told Golf Digest. Though it’s not natural links, he notes the property has the advantages of the wind and a long coastal stretch along Moray Firth.

“It’s really a beautiful site in its own right — water frontage, creeks, and even a large stand of pine trees that we will play around,” Doak says. “So instead of creating big artificial dunes to focus views and such, we’ll focus on building smaller, rippling contours as are found on links courses the world over, plus a dynamic bunkering scheme.” It’s likely to be more akin to nearby Nairn, he says, with out and back holes strung through low hummocks of gorse and grass, than the vertical dunes of a Ballybunion.

Mike Keiser, the developer of Bandon Dunes who has partnered with Cowan-Dewar on several Cabot projects, knows that second courses are force multipliers that elevate remote places from curiosities to destinations. Castle Stuart gave golfers another compelling layover on their northward journey up the Scottish coast toward Royal Dornoch and Brora. Once the new course is completed (projected is expected to break ground in early 2023), Cabot Highlands will be its own port of call.

“Gil’s course had to attract an audience to go up to Inverness, where the new course only has to provide a contrast and deserve its place in the itinerary,” Doak says. “Oddly, that might free us up to build something compelling.”

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The post Castle Stuart added to Cabot portfolio, and plans revealed for a second course by Tom Doak appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A great golf escape needs a stay as impressive as the course you choose to play. Al Mouj Golf and the Kempinski Hotel Muscat hit the spot, as Golf Digest Middle East editor Kent Gray discovered.

As the host of a $1.75 million European Tour event and a podium placer in Golf Digest Middle East’s biennial Top 10 courses ranking since the club’s inception, it’s strange that Al Mouj Golf remains one of the region’s best kept golfing secrets.

But that is exactly what the Greg Norman-designed desert links remains to UAE-based golf tourists despite increasingly revered global reviews.

Along a two-kilometre stretch of pristine coastline, flanking the Indian Ocean and with the stunning Hajjar mountain range as it’s inshore backdrop, Al Mouj Golf gives little away to the Majlis at Emirates Golf Club and Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, the only clubs above it in the most recent Top 10 list.

At 7342-yards, the 18-hole championship course is Oman’s first links course, a rugged, windswept brute of a layout which is as strategically challenging as it is beautiful. The outward nine features a pair of particularly memorable par 3s, the first to a partial island green, while any par on the 9th with its intimidating over-water tee shot and approach to a green guarded by the Gulf of Oman is to be celebrated. The excitement level – and shot-making examination – ratchet up a level on the homeward nine, particularly at the par-3 11th hole which plays directly out to sea and the 12th and 13th holes, a par-5 and par-3 combo that play adjacent to the coast and require as much to clever course management as they do pure ball striking. Then there’s the 18th, as picturesque – and daunting – a closing hole as you’ll anywhere in the region, a hole where every shot risks ending up wet.

Throw in a teaching academy and floodlit driving range, a floodlit par-3 nine-holer with impossibly perfect greens, a fully-equipped pro-shop and a restaurant to complete the experience, and it’s little wonder some of the game’s biggest names rave about Al Mouj Golf.

“I’d say it’s the best course I’ve played in the Middle East,” says European Tour winner Eddie Pepperell, not a man prone to hyperbole. “Al Mouj is a must play if you’re ever in Oman.”

Chris Wood, who narrowly missed out on the inaugural Oman Open title to Dutchman Joost Luiten in 2018, echoed Pepperell’s sentiments. “It’s a bit of a mix between a links and a desert course,” said the lanky Englishman. “The design is really good and there are so many players saying the same things. It’s in perfect condition and the practice facilities are awesome too.”

They’re doing good things for the future at Al Mouj Golf too, led by Australian course superintendent Steve Johnson. The club recently won the IAGTO Sustainability Award for Community Value and Johnson again earned high praise for the presentation of the playing surfaces when American Kurt Kitayama won the 2019 edition of the Oman Open in February.

It makes you wonder what else is needed to lure UAE-based golfers to the Muscat gem given the close, cost-effective stay and play adventure just a 70-minute flight from Dubai? With the new Muscat International Airport now operational and just a seven-minute drive to the golf club, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more convenient golf holiday option in the Middle East, not to mention worthy secondary courses nearby. Of course, the perfect golf escape needs a stay as impressive as the play, which is where the elegant new Kempinski Hotel Muscat comes into play.

Just a further eight-minute taxi drive west of Al Mouj Golf, the 310-room luxury beach resort offers a spectacular mix of modern Omani architecture and the sultanate’s famed hospitality.

After a memorable round, we retired to the luxury of our spacious and stunningly appointed superior room (complete with marble-clad bathroom) to soak up the sunset over the Gulf of Oman, much like the European Tour stars that followed us to the Oman Open’s official hotel. The views across the resort pools were enhanced by a flock of birds engaged in a mesmerising dusk inspired dance overhead. We could have stayed on our balcony for hours but there was so much to explore in the hotel and beyond. With state-of-the-art facilities, world-class restaurants and bars and a fully-equipped fitness centre, the Kempinski Hotel Muscat is the perfect accompaniment to Al Mouj’s truly world-class golf offering. The hotel is also ideally positioned for some post-round exploring on foot around the nearby Wave Muscat, Oman’s first master-planned community which sparkles between the Wave Muscat Marina (and some excellent non-golf activities) and Al Mouj Golf.

With so much world-class golf on our doorstep in the UAE, it is easy to look beyond the Middle East for any golf escape. But for wow factor at play and rest just a hop and a skip from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, you’ll need to go a long way to beat this Muscat combo for quality.

The post There’s now a stay to match the quality of Oman’s must play, Al Mouj Golf appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the existing course in 1960. Bellerive ranked inside our 100 Greatest from our first set of rankings in 1966 through 2003, ranking as high as our Second 10 in 1969. Jones’ son, Rees Jones, has done recent work at Bellerive, restoring some of his father’s design elements and modernising other aspects. Bellerive Country Club is currently the top-ranked course in its state, and it ranks 118th on our Second 100 Greatest ranking (jumping 27 spots in our most ranking from 145th).

The first hole at Bellerive is no easy opener. You need to find the fairway to score well on this 425 yarder, well guarded by fairway bunkers—a theme throughout this Trent jones design.

Gary Kellner

Right away, you can see the refined bunker edges that Jones’ team has worked on recently.

Gary Kellner

The view from the first green looks back up at the clubhouse.

The second hole was redesigned from a sharp dogleg left, with its green not visible off the tee, to a wide open look at the green—though still retaining the architectural elements of the previous hole.

The large lake at the front of the green used to be a creek, but Rees Jones changed the hole significantly in his 2006 restoration.

Another terrific view behind a green, this looking back down No. 2 fairway.

The first one-shotter at Bellerive is short, playing just 147 yards for the PGA Championship.

The tee at the fourth hole, which plays as a par 5 for member play. It will play a sizable 520 yards or so for the PGA Championship.

Looking down at the green from the fourth fairway.

The fifth tee.

The 213-yard par-3 sixth hole at Bellerive played at a 4.03 stroke average at the 1965 U.S. Open. This long, diagonal green is protected by a number of swales—making precision paramount. Though it looks like a skinny green from the tee, it’s visually deceptive: You could have a 75-foot putt on this green.

The seventh hole is a short two-shotter, which will likely play less than 400 yards—making this a true birdie opportunity for the field.

The seventh green.

The eighth is a slight dogleg left par 5, which will play around 610 yards for the PGA Championship.

Perhaps the toughest par 4 on the outward nine at Bellerive is the ninth. The uphill approach shot to a green with different levels is an intimidating number to hit. If you’re any bit offline, par is a tough score.

The 10th hole is a dogleg left that runs downhill once you’re past the fairway bunker on the left.

The view behind the 10th green.

Rees Jones made some modifications at No. 11, including the option to make this a drivable par 4, which is likely to happen over a couple rounds. Jones made the kick slope left of the green short grass as a target for those going for the green from the tee, yet wanting to stay away from the water on the right. Balls might bounce off it and onto the green, but more likely, balls will settle in that tightly mown hollow, making for a tricky pitch and run off a tight lie.

A view looking down the 12th fairway.

The visually intimidating fairway bunkers at No. 12.

The 13th hole is a par 3 that plays over a creek to a slightly elevated green. This green has been rebuilt far more often than any in the course. The ridges and undulations make this a difficult green to navigate.

The risk-reward 17th hole, which will play around 600 yards for the PGA Championship.

Rees filled in a pond that was short right of the green, replacing it with bunkers. The stream along the right does come close to the right edge of the green, so there’s still some risk for those attempting to reach this par 5 in two.

The 18th hole is the most heavily bunkered fairway, and green, on the course— befitting a closing Robert Trent Jones hole.

The 18th fairway.

—Additional commentary provided by Golf Digest’s Senior Architecture Editor Ron Whitten.

The post PGA Championship 2018: Bellerive Country Club course tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Stephen Hennessey
The partnership of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the men behind new Byron Nelson home Trinity Forest, has been one golf’s most respected architectural teams for quite some time. And it all started back in the late 1980s, when the pair visited a site for a course that was never built. This came soon after Coore’s first course opened at Rockport Country Club in Texas, and Crenshaw—who had just won the 1984 Masters—was so impressed with Coore’s work, Crenshaw signed up to partner with the former Pete Dye associate. The talented duo has worked together for more than 30 years, producing some of the game’s most revered designs.

Here’s a look at those courses—ranked in the order our Golf Digest course-ranking panelists scored them based on our most recent America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses ranking and Golf Digest’s Complete 200 Greatest International Golf Courses ranking.

10 . Kapalua (Plantation), Maui, Hawaii
Though their partnership started in 1991, this was Coore and Crenshaw’s first completed design. No. 21 on Golf Digest’s most recent 100 Greatest Public Courses and No. 112 on our latest Second 100 Greatest, the Plantation course hosts the annual Tournament of Champions that kicks off the year on the PGA Tour. The course is set to undergo an extensive renovation after next year’s tournament, with Coore and Crenshaw overseeing most of the work.

Stan Badz/PGA Tour

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9 . Colorado Golf Club, Parker, Colo.
Named Golf Digest’s sixth Best New private course in 2007, this Colorado layout is currently No. 111 on our latest Second 100 Greatest ranking. The venue for the 2013 Solheim Cup will also host the 2019 U.S. Mid Amateur.

Chris Graythen
Azahara Munoz of Spain hits her second shot on the 14th hole at the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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8 . Streamsong (Red), Bowling Green, Fla.
This Everglades-meets-Ballybunion layout, which is how Ron Whitten used to describe the Red course at Streamsong after it opened in 2013, is the highest ranked of the three courses at central Florida’s new Streamsong Resort. Coore and Crenshaw worked with Tom Doak on which land each would use for their routings at Streamsong, a rare collaboration among competitors, but not surprising given their friendship. The Red course, which debuted inside the 100 Greatest in its first appearance, is ranked No. 102 on Golf Digest’s most recent rankings.

The 8th hole at Streamsong’s Red course.

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7 . Bandon Trails (Ore.)
Carved mostly out of wooded land though it starts and finishes among massive sand dunes, the facility’s third course, which opened in 2005, is the fourth-highest ranked course at Bandon Dunes—sitting at No. 70 on our latest ranking.

Stephen Szurlej
The first hole at Bandon Trails

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6 . Old Sandwich Golf Club, Plymouth, Mass.
Old Sandwich’s 56th-place spot is the highest place it has held on our 100 Greatest ranking. Carved out of the brush and sand just two miles from the ocean, Coore and Crenshaw utilised some rolling terrain and beautiful landscapes to create another minimalist design (see Sand Hills, below).

he Henebrys/Courtesy of Old Sandwich GC
The 15th hole at Old Sandwich G.C. in Plymouth, Mass.

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5 . Barnbougle Lost Farm, Bridport, Australia
Sitting among towering Tasmanian sandscapes is this links course that was built to be the sister course of Tom Doak’s Barnbougle Dunes, No. 11 on our World 100. Lost Farm is currently No. 26 on our World 100.

Photo by Stephen Szurlej

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4 . Friar’s Head, Baiting’s Hollow, N.Y.
Built on sandy bluffs along the North Shore of Long Island, Friar’s Head is another minimalist success by Coore and Crenshaw, which despite losing out on Golf Digest’s 2003 Best New Private survey to the Club at Black Rock in Idaho and Dallas National, Friar’s Head ranks far above those designs, continuing to rise in our 100 Greatest rankings—up to No. 19, its highest-ever position.

Evan Schiller
The ninth hole at Friar’s Head Golf Club in Baiting’s Hollow, N.Y.

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3 . Sand Hills Golf Club, Mullen, Neb.
Perhaps most architecturally significant out of this group of courses, Sand Hills is regarded as one of the most natural golf courses ever built. As Golf Digest’s Whitten writes: “The golf course wasn’t so much designed as discovered,” and helped guide the later works of Coore and Crenshaw.

Dom Furore
An overview of Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen, Neb. (Photograph by Dom Furore)

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2 . Cabot Cliffs, Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada

John and Jeannine Henebry
The 16th hole at Cabot Cliffs in Nova Scotia.

On Cabot Cliffs, Golf Digest’s 2015 Best New honoree, Whitten wrote: “This is the second coming of Cypress Point, which in my mind was previously unmatched in its beauty, variety and thrills.” For a man not known for hyperbole, that is the highest praise. Cabot Cliffs was No. 9 on our most recent World 100 ranking.

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1 . Shanqin Bay, Hainan Island, China
Probably unknown by most casual American golfers, Shanqin Bay has been called by some the best course in Asia. Built on seaside sand dunes on China’s Hainan Island, Shanqin Bay sits at No. 8 on Golf Digest’s most recent World 100 ranking.

Courtesy of Shanqin Bay G.C.
The eighth hole at Shanqin Bay in China

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Other notable Coore and Crenshaw courses:

Sand Valley Golf Course was named the Best New golf course in 2017 by Golf Digest. It will be a candidate for our next 100 Greatest/Second 100 Greatest rankings, to be published in January 2019.

Trinity Forest Golf Club, site of the 2018 AT&T Bryon Nelson, will be a candidate for Golf Digest’s 2018 survey of Best New courses.

Ozarks National at Big Cedar Lodge—same as Sand Valley—has not yet been included on a published set of Golf Digest rankings.

Dormie Club: Narrowly missed making Golf Digest’s latest Second 100 Greatest ranking, and ranking 185th on Golf Digest’s 2015-2016 ranking, Dormie Club is No. 49 on our most recent 100 Greatest Public ranking.

Chechessee Creek in Okatie, S.C.: Like Dormie Club, made Golf Digest’s 2015-2016 ranking at No. 197, and narrowly missed in 2017-2018.

The Golf Club at Cuscowilla in Eatonton, Ga. — No. 11 on Golf Digest’s most recent Best in State rankings, the G.C. at Cuscowilla recently went full-private, previously being a 100 Greatest Public course.

East Hampton Golf Club: No. 28 on Golf Digest’s 2015-2016 Best in State rankings. Did not make the 2017-2018 rankings.

We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro Course in Fort McDowell, Ariz.: No. 98 on Golf Digest’s 2017-2018 100 Greatest Public courses ranking,

Lonna Tucker
The eighth hole at We-Ko-Pa’s Saguaro course.

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Austin Golf Club: Ben Crenshaw enjoyed his layout so much in his hometown that he actually lives on property.

Bandon Preserve — The fun 13-hole par-3 course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has become one of the most popular rounds to book at the resort.

The post The best Coore and Crenshaw golf courses appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“Legendary golf course architect Alistair Mackenzie wrote that “the chief object of every golf course architect or green keeper worth his salt is to imitate the beauties of nature so closely as to make his/her work indistinguishable from nature itself”. In other words, a golf course should, wherever possible, merge pleasantly into the landscape and where it is necessary to move earth to heighten levels or form depressions in new ground, the “thing should be done with the delivery of a sculptor modeling his clay”.

Related: Trump Dubai a new entry in the Top 10 Courses of the Middle East

Sculptor and golf architect Gil Hanse looked to adopt this same mantra when building the new Trump International Golf Club, Dubai in Dubailand, a few miles outside of the Dubai city centre.

The 17th is proof a par-3 needn’t be long to be challenging.

Holes have been sculpted, by hand and machine, to blend into the surrounds and where new features have been created, they mimic the shapes of nature. In particular the use of ground contours – a refreshing feature rarely seen on modern golf courses – dictate much of the play and call for great imagination and creativity. To this end, Hanse and his team have avoided guarding the landing areas and green complexes with abundant features (think bunkers) that stymie the ground game and are costly to build and maintain.

Instead ground contours have been introduced to create strategic and visual interest and are then leveraged in such a way that they maximise creative shot options and intelligent play from tee to green.

The magical 12th green (Photo: Farooq Salik)

Links golf has taught us that something as simple as a bump or depression can offer as much interest as any other feature and this is certainly clear to see at Trump Dubai. While not technically a links golf course, the holes at Trump Dubai are designed, built and set-up to play linksy which in many ways sets it apart from the other courses in the region and gives the place added character and individuality.

Walking great distances between greens and tees mars any course and delays the game, yet at Trump Dubai holes flow seamlessly from one to the other with many tees little more than a skip and a hop from the green surfaces.

A panoramic view of the 1st and 8th greens. (Photo: Farooq Salik)

Transition areas – including those between the greens and tees – are well shaped with a strong emphasis on the small detail which is paramount to achieving a great result. The rough areas are all “responsibly” planted with native material which helps achieve a strong sense of place and ensures a product that is much more environmentally sustainable. Golf courses are now seeing that securing their future is reliant on finding ways of becoming much more environmentally sustainable and it’s pleasing to see a strong environmental approach from the start at Trump Dubai.

One could argue that the residential component – so dominant – to the sides of the golf course takes away from the overall experience but you can’t argue that Hanse and his team have worked tirelessly to reduce this impact. They’ve created a core golf experience that is fun to play and engaging, a course that is closely linked to nature…at times almost indistinguishable from nature itself. It’s hard not to like Trump Dubai even if the other distractions are not to everyone’s liking.”

Beware the hard-packed pimples within the bunker guarding the 7th green (Photo: Kevin Murray)

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About Paul Jansen

The post Trump International Golf Club, Dubai – A Year On appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The Open Championship, especially when conducted in Scotland, is notorious for the weather factoring into the contest. But we doubt this year’s field will face anything this extreme.

The United Kingdom has been blanketed by snowfall emanating from Siberia, a storm dubbed by Europeans as “The Beast from the East.” Scotland was not immune from the blizzard, with parts of the northern country receiving 10 inches of powder. An inconvenience, yes, but also a salvo that swathed some of the world’s greatest links in a winter wonderland.

Demonstrated by these photos of the Old Course at St. Andrews…

As well as down the street at the Castle Course…

Up through the Highlands to Royal Dornoch…  

The beast from the east has hit. No golf today!! #beastfromtheeast #snow #wind #drifting

A post shared by Gary Dingwall (@royaldornochpro) on Feb 28, 2018 at 3:42am PST

Back down the coastline to Cruden Bay…

Eye-catching views captured between heavy snow showers at Cruden Bay Golf Club today. @Crudenbaygolf @BBCScotWeather @Greatherday @visitabdnbt #OutAndAboutScotland #ScotSpirit #CrudenBay pic.twitter.com/v2K3wDPLuh

— Stewart Paul (@StewartPaul1) February 28, 2018

And yes, Carnoustie, host of this year’s claret jug, was also painted in white…

#Repost @theopen ・・・ The famous Spectacles bunkers under snow at this years Open Venue @carnoustiegolflinks ? @craigboath9

A post shared by Carnoustie Golf Links (@carnoustiegolflinks) on Feb 28, 2018 at 9:04am PST

Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian, which will host the Scottish Open the week before The Open at Carnoustie, wasn’t immune either.

Beauty and the Beast (from the East)… ?‍ pic.twitter.com/czSvJmHA9X

— Gullane Golf Club (@GullaneGolfClub) February 28, 2018

American golfers often complain their Scottish excursion was dampened by constant rain. But, as the photos above illustrate, there are worse precipitation fates from Mother Nature.

The post St. Andrews, Carnoustie and other Scottish links are covered in snow, and the photos are dazzling appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.