The head greenkeeper at a council-owned golf course said he was told he would lose his job just a week before Christmas.
Peter Lawton said lots of work had been put in to improve the course at Beacon Park Golf Club in Skelmersdale but all that will soon be lost. The facility will be closed as a golfing facility by West Lancashire Borough Council in March.
After the decision was unanimously agreed during a private section of a full council meeting, Peter was told just one week before Christmas that he would be losing his job, Lancs Live reports.
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He said: "I'm the head greenkeeper at the golf course and about two years ago it was in a sorry state. We've turned it around, we did really much investment, and we were doing well.
"The week before Christmas, we got called in for a meeting with Serco (the company which operates the site on behalf of its owners, the council) and they said they've been told the council had a meeting and voted to close it. So a week before Christmas we're told we're losing our jobs."
Announcing the decision, the local authority said it was "pausing" the loss-making facility, a decision which would "present an exciting opportunity" to develop the park's facilities and green spaces. Despite the promises of future plans, Peter said he remained sceptical over what would happen next and insisted a viable future was possible for the golfing facility.
He said: "If they couldn't afford to run it as it is, they're not going to pay hundreds of thousands to put in a bike track, adventure centre, or whatever they say they're planning. It all seems very strange.
"That golf course is in a good position. With the cost of living crisis, there's a market for a pay-as-you-play golf course."
Announcing the decision, Councillor Carl Coughlan, portfolio holder for leisure, said: "These plans will open up so many opportunities to improve Beacon Country Park for everyone and will create a more engaging, accessible green space that will rival any similar park in the North West - the potential for improvements in health and wellbeing for our residents and the income generated by increasing visitors is an opportunity we cannot ignore.
"The current golfing facility has for many years required a significant subsidy to run. The decision taken represents the beginning of the journey in West Lancashire to reshape and revitalise our Health Wellbeing and Leisure offer, and I am grateful for the cross-party support to help us deliver the first significant step on this journey."
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