Erin Kelly / The Meridian Star Bobby Butler and Jack Rushing enjoy golfing at the Lakeview Municipal Golf Course in Meridian. 

Jack Rushing has been golfing at the Lakeview Municipal Golf Course in Meridian for 56 years.

“We don’t have as many players as we used to because the greens are in such bad shape,” said Rushing, who was playing a round of golf on Wednesday. “It’s home to me. We like to play golf and at my age, we don’t have nothing else to do but come out here and play.”

The course could shut down if the city of Meridian passes a budget without transferring money from the general fund, leaders said Wednesday.

Last year, the city moved $100,000 to cover the gap between revenue and expenses at Lakeview, but the current budget draft does not include any transfer funds, said Chief Financial Officer Brandye Latimer.

According to city records, revenue from the golf course dropped from approximately $295,000 in fiscal year 2012 to around $98,000 by July of fiscal year 2019.

“Once upon a time, we were getting some great revenue from that facility. People were coming from all over the world to play golf here in Meridian,” said Ward 4 city council member Kim Houston. “There’s been a decline in membership. There’s been a decline in us being able to provide the services to maintain that golf course properly.”

The latest information from the city shows Lakeview has 106 members.

Houston said the city council is considering raising membership costs or shifting to a pay-to-play fee structure. She encouraged supporters to hold fundraisers. Monthly dues are $60 and greens fees for 18 holes are $20-22, according to the website.

As the council works on the upcoming budget, members face a tough decision on whether to continue funding Lakeview, Houston said.

“With everything else that’s going on in our city, as far as paving, as far as infrastructure, houses needing to be torn down…there is a much bigger picture and so we have to make sure that we’re doing for the greater good of the residents of Meridian,” she said. 

Back at Lakeview, Rushing’s friend Bobby Butler said he wouldn’t mind paying more in dues or participating in a fundraiser to save the course. 

“It needs work and it ain’t getting it,” he said. “I would feel terrible if it shut down.”