A GOLF course has been open to the public for daily exercise – but no one seems to know.

Heaton Park Golf Course, which is owned by Manchester City Council, has been open to the public to use during the pandemic alongside parks.

But nobody seems to be using it for daily exercise, local Lib Dems have said.

Prestwich councillor Steven Wright wrote to Manchester City Council leader, Sir Richard Leese, this week asking him to open up the golf course.

He said: “The twin pressures of warm weather and ‘lockdown fatigue’ are encouraging increasing numbers of people to visit Heaton Park making it more difficult to maintain safe social distancing.

“To help to ease this pressure, we suggest that Manchester City Council make the park’s golf course area available for responsible daily exercise, just as many private golf clubs across the country have done.

“Opening up the golf course this way would have both short- and long-term benefits.

“Firstly, encouraging people to walk around Heaton Park Golf Course would increase the awareness of the facility amongst non-golfers, and especially young people, in the area.

“Properly managed, it is likely that this would lead to larger numbers of players in the coming months and years thus helping the new operators to make a success of a facility which has struggled at various times in the past.

“Secondly, there are many private clubs in the area, and these form an important part of the local economy bringing visitors from across the country.

“A thriving municipal course provides more than just accessible community golf, it generates a ‘pipeline’ of new golfers taking up the game every year.

“A successful, community-based golfing ecosystem would help to support the local economy and make Prestwich, and the surrounding area, something of a golfing ‘destination’.

“It may be a long shot to say that the next Tiger Woods or Michelle Wie could experience his or her first golf course in Heaton Park during the lockdown but providing local families with additional space on their doorsteps can only be a good thing at this difficult time.

“We would be delighted to work with Manchester City Council, Heaton Park Management and the course operator to develop a practical plan to make this happen.”

A spokesman for Manchester City Council said that if people want to walk on the golf course, they are “more than welcome to”.