Echoes of the past: There has been a growing sense of deja vu for The Bottom Line amid the ongoing coverage of the effects of the coronavirus on the Scottish licensed trade.

Talk of giant glasshouses in Glasgow’s Finnieston and closing huge thoroughfares such as Argyle Street to allow trading while social distancing is observed has taken your humble correspondent back to 2006, when pubs were preparing for the introduction of the smoking ban.

Back then it was all about maximising outdoor areas and creating “sit-ooteries” to ensure pubs could continue to attract smokers. It was a huge transition, but few then would have thought conditions would one day become even more challenging than that.

Fairway farewell: Like many people, The Bottom Line has been enjoying walking down the fairways of the local golf course with impunity since lockdown measures halted hackers from indulging their pastime.

All that has come to an end, though, with the course now closed to ramblers to allow greenkeepers to prepare for the return of play. With so many clubs struggling to break even, the thought did occur that some should consider walking memberships, for non-peak times, to help ends meet.