THE celebrated golfer Arnold Palmer has said he feels honoured to be building a new golf course on the shores of the Moray Firth.
The first nine holes at Castle Stuart to the east of Inverness, could be completed next year and the second nine in 2017.
But while the course should be ready to play a year later, its official opening is scheduled for 2019.
Two world leading golf course architects from Arnold Palmer Design Company also said it was a "dream come true" to be helping create the new course.
Palmer said: "From the day I first travelled to Scotland in 1960 to play in the Open Championship, I have been enamoured with the country and its people. The landscape and the history of the game all combine to make it such a special place in golf.
"To have an opportunity to design and build a great golf course in Scotland is an honour."
The Arnold Palmer Group, which is investing in the current partnership at Castle Stuart, is collaborating on building a second course there, which will be Arnold Palmer's first in Scotland.
The Group's Arnold Palmer Design Company (APDC) is the golf course design firm founded by Palmer in 1972.
Palmer and two of APDC's senior architects, Thad Layton and Brandon Johnson, have been working closely with the Castle Stuart team. Construction on the new course is expected to begin next March.
Layton and Johnson will set up home in the Highlands to work on site with the local team.
Castle Stuart has submitted a pre-application report to the Highland Council and will provide updated information at a public consultation day in Ardersier next week. It is envisaged a detailed planning application will be submitted in August.
Palmer and his team say Castle Stuart is one of the most fascinating projects in which APDC has been involved over the last 40 years.
Mr Johnson said: "This is why we go to study golf courses all over the world, to have opportunities like this. To be able to create something that is fun and creative on such a naturally beautiful piece of property is every golf course architect's dream.
"We hope people walk off the 18th green and immediately want to go back to the 1st tee to play again."
Mr Layton added: "We are always looking for great sites to work on and sophisticated clients to work with. That is what this opportunity provides."
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