 This week I take a trip to one of the best golf resorts in Scotland with a longtime friend of mine. We laugh a lot, eat pies, drink whiskey, eat cakes, battle the elements, have some deep and meaningful chats and stay in some of the best golfers accommodation you will find anywhere and also one of the best club houses. Oh and yeah I almost forgot we play a little bit of golf along the way and it's fair to say it was a tad breezy. This place is the host venue of the women's Scottish Open and final qualifying for the Open. Welcome to Dundon links and this is Lewis Johnson. Mind the detail I know but that's got to be the best shower I've ever had. That's so good. This accommodation's mint isn't it. So good for golfers. I love it. Takes a good facility to get me warming up don't it. This is enticing I think isn't it. I don't think how you could make someone want to play golf after they've played golf. Right so what we're going to do is we're going to play a bit of a scramble format and we're going to attempt to break Rafa Cabera Bayer's course record of 64 blows. Players are scramble but the main thing is to show you around what is first and foremost a really good golf course. I'm following an unusually errant drive from Lewis who's up to the man they call the postman to once again deliver. Let's make it clear nobody's ever referred to me as the postman. We still left a five wood into the first screen and with a howling wind off the left I tried to bring one in on the flag only to leave a rather severe uphill putt and upstepped the real golfer amongst us and got us off to a pass start. Normal service resumed on the second and ultra reliable Lewis boom one off the tee and had the audacity to hit driver off the deck into the green. I did say it was breezy. I think we should see that again. Absolute majestic and rolls reverse from the first and I duly obliged with a tidy up and down. Great first to roll there aren't they. Just strong ones as well. Update on the scores we've pretty much kept it to level. Camero Bay was safe at the moment we made our way to the fifth. I just wanted to inform the viewers really our kind of friendship. Sixteen, seventeen years ago you were an 18-year-old whipper snapper. I've never been one of them. And what was our, we sort of had a four ball together. Yeah, yeah our winter league four ball was you and Jeff and me and your dad said. Just as an age breakdown first of all. Yeah, yeah that was sort of the interesting. I was 18. I think he was what maybe late thirties and then Jeff and Sid would have been in their sixties. But that was our winter league four ball wasn't it? So me and Sid and you and Jeff had been together for a long time for me the old pair. It's just interesting for me as like the first point to make is about like without golf. Yeah, yeah. None of those friendships would exist. No. I didn't, I knew my dad before then. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I didn't know Jeff. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. And we still get out, you know me and your dad, you know we're still playing. Yeah. I think it's, it's great. It's, what's Sid now? He's in his eighties, Sid isn't he? Yes, he is. Yeah. He won't thank you for telling everybody. No, no. Super shot. Not playing. It's a great drive. What are you playing? It's one five eight. Yeah. One five eight. It's a great little hole isn't it? Bunker, burn, left. Yeah, chuckle everywhere. Bit of wind. Do your best. Yeah. Still level par by the way if anyone's wondering. Seven. It's the right club. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe you get that birdie roll going, mate. Okay, Lou, here we go. Sun's out. Time to get the old birdie train going, I think. Roll out ball. Not quite enough, I'm afraid. Believe that, can you? What a great effort. Bundalnd is on model links of the highest standard. We have burns, steps into deep-reveted bunkers, fairways lined with gorse and heathers. It was kind of a decent front line. I thought we were going to break any records, but I've got a couple of surprises lined up today. And since you're last year, there's something called the Bothy, which I want to show you. And we need it. Hi, mate, okay. How do you like it, really? Stay surprised with me, mate. Come on. This is absolutely, no, mate. No, I'm okay, thank you. Can I have what did he have gone for? I know, but I don't like to try the macaroni for a bit. I haven't had that before. Is it really? Enjoying that, haven't you? Going. To stop off at the Bothy, that was the first surprise. Yeah. It's a nice halfway house in it, and you've already referenced the pie. Yeah, sorry, but it was very pie. It really was. I mean, it's so good pie. It's so warm in there. You're in trouble, mate. You can't sit in there too long, otherwise you might get a bit comfy. Yeah, yeah. And then up back in the clubhouse and the bar and up back on the back nine. Yeah. But I just wanted to follow on from the friendship thing. The other thing was going back. I keep forgetting about it, 16, 17, 18 years. It doesn't matter. But back then we were similar. Similar handicaps. Yeah, yeah. What happened? Well, I'll let you explain that. Because yours, really, you've had more fun. You've had more fun, haven't you? I've had more fun. I've come back for you. Yeah, yeah. So I've not had that much fun. Taking less shots is not as fun. So I, Lewis was around a four handicap at that point. I was playing about five, five in a bit. I'm playing really good to it as well, weren't you? It seems a long time ago, but obviously I've gone average at best, as I've said, a new turn pro. How do you mind me saying? I'd like to sit in and say, oh, yeah, loads of time, effort, no dedication. I don't know. I think it's just luck in it. No, I think there's all the aforementioned. I think continually playing, a lot of people get to like 18, like you say, and life takes over and stuff. And I think one thing I did was I sort of doubled down on like all of my spare time was golf. Yeah, I still try and make as much spare time for golf. I still love it. Yeah. You know, and I think that's it. You know, I never really let other things get in the way. Do you not think you know, just on in all sport, elite sport, you have to be that first of all, dedication is greater than the next man's, isn't it? Oh, you've got to love it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because there's a lot of people that are dedicated, but you can, they don't love it. No. Like, and I, I love it. You do. Like, I love it. Yeah. I love coming out here. I mean, I don't love wearing this many layers, but, you know, I think that's the thing as well. And then like, I was lucky it wasn't I went to Australia. I went to Australia for a couple of years and I played with some really good lads. And it's that continual nature of golf over there. Like, there's no win. They have seasons, obviously. But and that was the thing I think, you know, ability wise, as much as I was a pro when I went out there, you know, I think that was no, you ramp it up. I don't know what happened. I remember the first game back and I thought, Jesus Christ, who's this fella? Yeah. Where's he come from? Yeah. I was a four-handicap with the PJ. I was a four-handicap with the PJ card when I went out there. I thought I'd give him a whop in here. Little did I know. So there you go. Anyway, we better get cracking on me. Back nine, sun's out. Gun's out. I'm just in by far your biggest driver of the day. I mean, it must be the pie. Set. Yeah, good shot. Once again, a huge thank you to today's sponsor, Tacomo Golf. Their support over the last five episodes has been amazing and we are truly grateful. I finally hold a birdie putt. We've managed one birdie all day. Yeah, it's tough, isn't it? Yeah. What do you think of it as a golf course? Accommodation aside, just as a golf course, first of all, where would you? I think the first thing I'd say is, it's February. And look, yeah, well dry. I don't have to spray your shoes off. You don't have to. I think that's underrated. Especially the winter we've had. The other thing I'd say is, there's no weak holes, is there? No. And that's, I think, when people look for signature holes, and I think a lot of golf courses get rated on, oh, well, this hole and that hole. And I think the good thing about here is, and maybe it's because it's a newer design and stuff, it's, you feel as though there's been attention to detail on everything. You don't feel as though, like, nothing's been added on, has it? Yeah, you don't feel as though one hole's like, just getting you from one good hole to another and this is in the middle. Like, it's good, isn't it? Yeah. And I think that's the, the, just, I think it's a really underrated, overlooked, is just how one of the champions is. Yeah, I'm probably more playable than other championship courses. You know, it's not easy, but it's good, isn't it? And of course, no episode would be complete without folks with the weak. Don't forget, Lewis or Andy, in the comments below. A strong par of threes, aren't they? Yeah, I mean, as much as the greens are big. Yeah. And it's a big green ball. They give you, they give you a big target, but there's also a lot of run-offs. There's a few big bunkers as well. In this wind, I've never hit so many three or four irons and three ones off the deck. I'm not sure what club you've given me, but I'm going to go with it and trust you. How is that staying straight? How is that staying straight? That was such a good ball like that. Left trap, I think, because it five would. Yeah, five would. I'd have gone with that. Yeah, they're actually, I'm in the left trap and the flag sits on top of the one, well, the right of the two. They're giving you a lot of green on the right hand side, but it's a long way from the flag. Oh, this is so good. This is so good. Couldn't go in. Sit. Oh, that is a golf shot. Get in. That's a great birdie on your own there, bud. Think a bear, a bear, you better watch out. The 16th is a tremendous golf hole and plays every inch of its yardage and just a firebleach stroking next one on the scorecard. The 18th was played straight back into the teeth and there was no eagles to be had. Despite a driver and a three-word effort from both, a wedge was still required to set up a birdie finish. And I'm pleased to say Lewis stepped up and finished for a battling three under par. Well, as good as that was, I am absolutely freezing, mate, and I've got a bit of a nuke. There are saunas inside of the changing room. Oh, wow. As well as boiling hot showers, I am ready for that. Next up, it was time for some food in the Canary Crow and a quick game of pool. The second surprise of the day was a bit of whiskey tasting, which is fair to say we really both enjoyed. Cheers. Personally, as a whiskey fan, it was right on my street, but I'm surprised with Lewis. It's not his thing, but he got stuck in. And I have to say, it was a great way to end what was a great 24 hours in Ayrshire. All that's left to say is I'll see you next week.