From Chapter 7: THE BORDERS and EAST LOTHIANS around Peebles:
A short 12 miles northwest of Peebles, via A72 and B7059, is the fairly flat moorland tract of West Linton Golf Club. This 1890, James Braid-designed, eighteen-hole course is an enjoyable contrast to the hills at Peebles GC. The staff at West Linton have been particularly friendly and accommodating the three times we visited. It is one to which we keep returning. In fact, Carl, at Lindores House in Peebles tells a story about actor Michael Landon who, just before he died from cancer, stayed in the area to play West Linton because he appreciated how they treated him. Several holes stick in our memory. The sixth, Mendick, a 360-yard par 4, starts with a slightly downhill tee shot to a well-bunkered fairway, which narrows near the green. Try to stay in the middle, lest trees on both sides encroach on your second shot to the green, also well bunkered. Woolfe’s Wood, the par 4, 447-yard eighth is the number-one handicap hole, for good reason. A blind tee shot to a fairway which falls away left is a challenging start. The long second shot, through a slight dogleg right, is to a green with heavy rough, and out of bounds right and bunkers left. This hole, for me, plays as a testing par 5 instead of a par 4--it’s a good example of a hole which should be played with my own personal par in mind, regardless of what the card says. Following this long par 4 is the difficult Kittley Knowe (knowe meaning “hillock”), an interesting 162-yard par 3. At the furthest limit of the course, you play to an elevated, forward-sloping green with a large bunker left, and a drop off on all other sides. Anne noted a sense of hugeness of the course here, because we could barely see the clubhouse off in the distance. It’s at this point in your round that you may wish the Scots placed more toilets on their courses. Though, between the ninth green and tenth tee there is a convenient (and often used) stand of trees. West Linton has provided some enjoyable memories, outside of the golf itself. During one round, we watched sheep dogs work a flock in the fields adjacent to the fourteenth hole. Scotland offers several places where tourist can find more formal demonstrations of working dogs, but it was a treat to watch them in their everyday work. We have also had good experiences with pairing up with other golfers at West Linton. We’ve never had a bad experience pairing up in Scotland, and the retired civil servant we played with here in 2000 was a delight. He had a wealth of knowledge of the course and the area, and a memorable way of saying “Oh, no!” to each bad shot I made that day (and there were several). West Linton GC also has a relatively new clubhouse (1997) with snacks available midday to evening most days.

From Chapter 9: AYR, ISLE ARRAN, and KINTYRE:
On Isle Arran we stayed at a fantastic B&B called Kilmichael’s. It’s the oldest house on the island, built on land granted by King Robert the Bruce in the 1300s. Its breakfast was wonderful and the dinners are legendary, but they are also very, very expensive. And since the price for the lodging was very high (almost twice that of Traquair House), Anne and I chose to find a good pub meal and save almost $100. In downtown Brodick we found the Brodick Bar and Brasserie. What a find! Across from the post office at the north end of the village, the pub here is modern, light, and airy with lots of windows. Ian McFadzean, the owner, told us that this section had been redesigned in the past year, but that there was a bit of history to the place. Even though it’s been through several incarnations, it was still recommended by the Kilmichael staff. The building is over 40 years old, and Ian’s father bought it about 25 years ago. The bar is still in the original bar building, and the brasserie section was first a house, then a pub-function room. The Brasserie, featuring light walls with dark-wood accents, has been the family serving area for about ten years. One of the best features of the Brasserie is the chalkboard menu, with its 30 to 40 color- coded items--starters, fish, beef, lamb, fowl, sweets. Food portions were very generous, and everything we’ve tried has been very outstanding. During one meal, we shared an excellent Mussels ala Marinara Soup, and ended with Sultana Sponge Pudding with Sauce Anglaise. This is a lively, friendly place where, over a tasty malt, we’ve compared golfing notes with people who played different courses. Brodick Bar and Brasserie is a place where we always like to stop.
 

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