ANGRY golfers berated ­Glasgow councillors over the potential closure of the city’s public courses during a heated public meeting.

Bailie Norman MacLeod, chair of a working party looking at the future of golf in Glasgow, insisted there was “no hidden agenda” behind consultation launched by Glasgow Life, the city council’s sporting arm, in June.

Course users and concerned members of the public fear the process will lead to courses being shut down.

Glasgow Life, which operates courses at Littlehill, Lethamhill, Linn Park, Knightswood, Ruchill and Alexandra Park, ran an online survey, which considered options including reducing fees, restricting opening hours or scrapping public courses.

Campaign groups, Friends of Alexandra Park and Save Whitehill Pool, organised the meeting, which Mr MacLeod attended on the invitation of local councillor Allan Casey. Around 40 people attended to grill the politicians.

One golfer raised concerns the land had been earmarked for development, while others raised issues with the consultation process and demanded more investment in the sport.

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Mr MacLeod, who said he had been a keen golfer, reiterated his commitment to a “real” consultation, which he made at a full council meeting in June. “I have a huge personal commitment, a huge ambition to preserve all six courses if we possibly can,” he said.

“There’s no hidden agenda of selling off any of the council courses to developers.”

He said the issues were affordability and a reduction in participation. When he added he had begun playing golf aged eight, one man shouted: “How’s an eight year old going to play golf if you’re doing away with this course?”

Labour MP Paul Sweeney also attended the meeting. He said there was an “issue with long-running systematic mismanagement of municipal golf courses”, part of a “continued war against the public realm”.

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Mr Sweeney added Glasgow Life had to stop looking at courses as a liability and look at them as an asset, engaging young people.

Labour councillor Elaine McDougall branded the consultation process “totally flawed”, saying it was difficult to use online.

Another woman urged Mr MacLeod to ask for more funds. “I think it’s time to get to Holyrood and push for an increased budget,” she said.

Feedback on the consultation is due by the end of November this year.