Braid's Bistro @ Golf Club, Brora

As I'm broadly in agreement with Mark Twain on the subject of golf, I think this was the first time I'd ever had a pint in a golf club in my life. Although the club itself is private, the "Bistro" is advertised as being open to the general public. I wouldn't really have called it a bistro, though, it just looked like an ordinary bar/lounge to me. Commodious and comfortable, it was quiet on the Friday night I came in, with only a handful of other customers present. The single TV wasn't switched on and there was no music playing. There is also a large adjoining restaurant, which was empty. The golf balls with numbered flags in them on every table help to remind you where you are, as well as letting the staff know where to deliver food to. The main attraction, for me, were the huge plate glass windows along one wall which provide excellent views over part of the course, the North Sea and the Black Isle. One real ale, Deuchars IPA, was on sale at £3.70 a pint and was only slightly below par. Also on tap were Caledonia Best, Guinness, Tennent's lager, Tennent's Ember 80 Shilling and Blackthorn cider. This place is really nothing special, but in view of the low number of pubs in Brora, it's not a bad option for a quiet drink, even if you haven't just wasted a good walk.