I REALLY was walking on Ayr as I soaked up the sunrise on my stroll down the fairways to breakfast.
Fresh from a blissful night in one of the sensational lodges at Dundonald Links golf resort, I was ready for three action-packed days on the south west coast of Scotland.
But first there was the serenity of sipping my latte on the clubhouse veranda, watching the first light of day sparkle off the Firth of Clyde and gradually bring the Isle of Arran into view on the horizon.
This beautiful part of Scotland is home to some world-class golf courses and has welcomed some of the sport’s most famous faces.
Dundonald Links has two, four and six-bedroom lodges, set just off the fairway, that provide a perfect base to explore this historic part of the world.
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Then there’s the private practice green right outside our back door, which elevates the lodge to another level. Dundonald Links is the host course for this year’s Women’s Scottish Open and Final Qualifying for The Open.
It was the perfect test for our mixed-abilities group and was one of the finest courses I have ever played on.
Beautiful yellow gorse bushes perfectly framed the championship-quality fairways.
The undulating greens were challenging but fun. And the rough was punishing but not prohibitively so, after some inevitable rogue drives from yours truly.
I did manage to avoid the deadly 112-year-old cauldron bunker on the par-three 11th though.
While we played, the non-golfers with us visited the nearby Robert Burns Birthplace Museum which celebrates the Ayrshire-born national bard, whose 18th-century songs and poems are loved the world over.
The city centre of Glasgow is only a 45-minute drive away, if you would rather shop. Bustling Buchanan Street, home of the original House of Fraser, founded in 1849, was a highlight.
Or there’s watersports at the nearby River Doon. We were driven there by Dundonald’s worldly-wise concierge Davey (who may just be the friendliest bloke I have ever met) to join up with paddleboard guide Craig.
The following two oh-so-peaceful hours were spent gliding up and down the river, past swans’ nests and ducks, from the waterfall to the vast bay of Ayr.
And with Craig’s help, standing up on the boards was a doddle.
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When it comes to Scottish grub, the resort’s Canny Crow restaurant has a decadent selection.
Dinner is best followed by a tipple in specially designed whisky room, The Bonnie, complete with a £500,000 barrel of 36-year-old Bunnahabhain.
Local expert David Iain Grant guided us through five carefully selected drams.
I eventually staggered out and declared the 25-year-old Bowmore, with its smoky peaty flavour, my favourite.
We capped our trip in spectacular fashion with a round at Royal Troon — next year’s Open venue.
You could feel the history seeping from the walls as we changed in the same locker room as past Open champions including, most recently, Henrik Stenson.
The Open’s iconic Claret Jug trophy loomed large over us as we nervously teed off on the first.
And hacking my way out of the same evil bunker on the iconic Postage Stamp eighth hole that Rory McIlroy famously took six to get out of in 2016 is a memory I’ll hold on to for a long time to come.
