GOLFERS and East End residents are urging councillors to vote against scrapping Glasgow's public golf courses when they set the city's budget on Thursday.

Consultation held by Glasgow Life, the city council's cultural and sporting arm, revealed people are opposed to no longer having the six courses, a position echoed at a public meeting in Dennistoun last night.

Friends of Alexandra Park organised the event, also attended by users of the Littlehill and Lethamhill courses, to discuss the future of their park's facility.

Options drawn up ahead of the budget include cutting five of the six courses to save an estimated £530,000. The council is required to make savings of around £50m.

READ MORE: Glasgow council hears fierce opposition over plans to axe golf courses

Local councillors Elaine McDougall, Labour, and Allan Casey, SNP, were present, with golfers grilling them on how they would vote if courses are at risk.

Ms McDougall said: "I will be opposing the closure of any of the golf clubs."

And Mr Casey said: "I want to keep as many clubs open as possible. I'm going to look at the consultation results and what that tells me

"I cannot say absolutely no, I need to look at the evidence."

He admitted there are "significant budget problems". "I think Glasgow has been dealt a bad hand in terms of this budget," he said.

Attendees voiced their concerns about losing the course as well as discussing how they could get more children playing golf and what could be done to help people who can't afford to pay to play.

Milnbank Housing Association offered to store and share out donated clubs to people who want to use the course but don't have the equipment.

A representative from Glasgow Disc Golf Club suggested that sport could be rolled out at Alexandra Park. "It's fully accessible and it's free," he said, adding it would increase footfall in the park.

One campaigner said: "We're in the East End, one of the poorest areas in Britain and people want to take facilities off us."

Another man added: "Hopefully the power of the people will overturn this disgraceful decision they're planning."

There were also discussions about how to apply for council funding to support golf in the park while a Dennistoun Community Council representative said they had "very little correspondence" about saving the golf course.

Mr Casey said: "We need to find a way we can get people interested in playing golf again."

Former Glasgow Labour MP Paul Sweeney also attended the event to show his support for the campaign.