Five public golf courses in Glasgow earmarked for closure

Littlehill, Lethamhill, Linn Park, Ruchill and Alexandra Park are all reported to be under threat as Glasgow City Council looks to plug a funding black hole.

The closure of the courses, which would leave Knightswood, a nine-holer, as the only municipal course in the city, would apparently save £530,000.

The news has been met with shock, with one member at Littlehill saying: “Closure would have a devastating effect on the local community.”

Ruchill was reopened by Colin Montgomerie, who was Europe's Ryder Cup captain at the time, in 2009 after a long campaign by local golfers.

Last year, it was announced that Camperdown, one of two public courses in Dundee, is set to close to save almost £400,000 in annul subsidies.

Reacting to the news about the Glasgow courses facing closure, Scottish Golf chief executive Andrew McKinlay described public courses as “the fabric of the grassroots game in Scotland”.

He added: “In certain local authorities the municipal course finds itself as a direct competitor to [private] clubs offering discounted rates via third parties.”

A number of private clubs in Scotland have been forced to close in recent years due to dwindling membership.

They include Eastwood and Mount Ellen in the Glasgow area, as well as three near Edinburgh - Lothianburn, Torphin Hill and Whitekirk.