{"id":652,"date":"2013-10-04T06:34:16","date_gmt":"2013-10-04T13:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/?p=652"},"modified":"2014-08-01T09:00:46","modified_gmt":"2014-08-01T16:00:46","slug":"castle-stuart-a-vintage-newcomer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/herbgould\/travel\/652\/castle-stuart-a-vintage-newcomer","title":{"rendered":"Castle Stuart a vintage newcomer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Castle<\/a>

Castle Stuart’s Art Deco clubhouse stares out at the ominous sea like the bow of a ship.<\/p><\/div>\n

INVERNESS, Scotland\u2014As much as we would have liked to stay on at the Strathmore B&B near Dornoch, we reluctantly checked out and headed down A9.<\/p>\n

We were going to play at Castle Stuart, an hour south. And since our itinerary had changed a bit\u2014we had decided to meet our friends at Turnberry for our final Scotland stop\u2014it made more sense to head back to Pitlochry after the Castle Stuart round.<\/p>\n

That said, a return to the Dornoch area is high on our list\u2014to play not only Royal Dornoch but some neighboring seaside links courses such as Golspie and Brora. Although not in the same class, these village links sound irresistibly charming.<\/p>\n

But Castle Stuart had to be seen and played on this trip. I had chosen it over Nairn, which is also very high on the to-do list, on the advice of a Boston golf-writer friend. He liked Nairn, an historic Tom Morris\/James Braid classic, but gushed over Castle Stuart, a new star that opened in 2009 on the Moray Firth just east of Inverness.<\/p>\n

“Not a true links course,\u2019\u2019 a crusty English golf writer sniffed when I\u2019d told him at the British Open that we had decided, with only one day free, to spend it at Castle Stuart rather than Nairn.<\/p>\n

\"First<\/a>

First tee at Castle Stuart looks out to an inviting fairway<\/p><\/div>\n

On the other hand, Castle Stuart had added to its appeal when Phil Mickelson won the Scottish Open there the week before the British Open. And even if it’s a newbie, it respectfully fits right in with its namesake castle, which was built more than 300 years ago.<\/p>\n

I also had heard that Castle Stuart was similar to Whistling Straits, the Wisconsin course that has hosted the PGA\u2014except that it\u2019s more forgiving. That was a description I liked, and one that turned out to be accurate.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a very fun course.<\/p>\n

With the wind at our backs, the first three holes were a delight. They run right alongside the Moray Firth, but feature generous landing areas that are pretty much a Castle Stuart trademark.<\/p>\n

The first three holes of the back nine also border the sea on this course, which has one nine to the left of the clubhouse and the other to the right.<\/p>\n

I was particularly fascinated by No. 3, a 266-yard downhill downwind par-four that was within my wheelhouse. Not having many (if any) shots at driveable par-fours and feeling pretty loose, I made a good swing that had enough juice, and thought I had positioned the shot nicely between the two fairway bunkers.<\/p>\n

I was so sure of myself, I even started looking for my ball around and behind the green before realizing the shot had kicked right on the fairway\u2014right into the right bunker.<\/p>\n