A golf bar that grooves is a bit like a hole in one. They must exist, but few of us see one. The recently-renovated Golf Tavern on Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh is the exception. No, really.
Now there are two schools of thought about golf and the one you belong to probably depends on whether or not you play the game.
Last century, the New York Tribune blustered that golf was, among lots of other things, a fever, a vice, a frenzy, a fear, a joy, a thrill, a dream of yesterday, and a hope for tomorrow. They forgot to add that it also seems to lead to verbal diarrhoea. Not playing the game myself, I prefer another description from Happy Gilmore, the lead character in a dismal American golf movie: 'To play golf, you need goofy pants and a fat ass.'
But then golf has long had an image problem to anyone under 40. Only now is it beginning to change.
The Golf Tavern is riding this wave of born-again golf cool. The bar was established in 1456, so it can hardly be accused of jumping on the bandwagon.
But before its renovation, the Golf Tavern was strictly old school. If it had been a golf club, it would have been the kind of place that didn't allow members to wear shorts on a boiling summer day without special dispensation from the club secretary. Since its makeover, the Golf Tavern has become more like a place the Rat Pack might slake their thirst in after a day on the Vegas links.
It still would not upset a golfing purist, but the Tavern has taken the golf theme and twisted its melons a little. Stained glass golfing scenes hang on the walls, but they are coloured like photograph negatives.
Collections of golf balls are displayed as though they were in a trendy art gallery.
With its deep brown leather seats, dark wood fittings and moody lighting, it could be a club VIP area, but nor have they lost its original character.
Enthusiasts will appreciate the signed golf cards and memorabilia from Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. People like me, who like the atmosphere but don't get golf, will wonder why anybody would stick one of Tiger Woods' framed golf shoes on the wall.
I like horse racing, but wouldn't stick one of Shergar's hoofs on my wall.
There are plasma screens dotted around the bar, so fans need not miss any sporting action while polishing off a pint or two.
What sticks in my mind as the best bit of kitsch in the place was the picture display of former American presidents who played golf along with a framed golf ball from each of them. And I thought it was his marbles Reagan lost.
A complete dish: The chef puts the finishing touches to another masterpiece.
Open: 10am 1pm, seven days
Drinks: Pint of Kronenbourg, £2.70; glass of house wine, from £2.75; shooters, from £2.25; gin and bottled tonic, £3
Rating: Four out of five
Details
0131 221 5221
With its deep brown leather seats, dark wood fittings and moody lighting, it could be a club VIP area, but nor have they lost its original character.
Enthusiasts will appreciate the signed golf cards and memorabilia from Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. People like me, who like the atmosphere but don't get golf, will wonder why anybody would stick one of Tiger Woods' framed golf shoes on the wall.
I like horse racing, but wouldn't stick one of Shergar's hoofs on my wall.
There are plasma screens dotted around the bar, so fans need not miss any sporting action while polishing off a pint or two.
What sticks in my mind as the best bit of kitsch in the place was the picture display of former American presidents who played golf along with a framed golf ball from each of them. And I thought it was his marbles Reagan lost.
A complete dish: The chef puts the finishing touches to another masterpiece.
Open: 10am 1pm, seven days 
