The decision to close the Longwood Golf Course to the public has been deemed final.

“Several supporters of the golf course spoke with members of the (university’s) board (of visitors) earlier this month,” said Longwood spokesman Matt McWilliams.

“The board listened attentively to their point of view, and thanked them for their obvious and sincere commitment to the golf course, but reiterated to them that the decision is final.”

After June 30, the golf course will only be available to university teams as a practice space.

Following the initial announcement concerning the closure, several members of the community and golfers condemned the decision.

According to Longwood’s website, “from the very beginning, the course was available to, and extensively used by, students and employees of the institution — State Teachers’ College at the time — free of charge. The general public has always paid a nominal fee to play. The golf course has hosted numerous tournaments and outings throughout its history and, according to the March 21, 1941, Farmville Herald, the first golf ‘league’ was formed that year at the course.” The university said recently that a large amount of students do not use the course.

In a February press release from the university, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Tim Pierson said “membership now stands at under 100, including about a dozen Longwood students. But the decision is not a financial one.”

Last year, to sustain the course’s operations, the university had to use $178,474 in other funding sources to make up the difference between the $90,464 in revenues and $268,999 in expenditures in fiscal year 2015, according to Justin Pope, chief of staff to Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV.

In fiscal year 2007, the total revenues from the course were $147,745 compared to the just over $90,000 collected last year.

A $150,000 annual agreement is in place with the Manor Golf Course, allowing faculty, staff and students the option to play at the location based on current rates at Longwood’s golf course.

The community has two additional courses open to the public — the Farmville Municipal Golf Course and The Manor, according to the release announcing the closure of the course in February.

“The Manor is a noted 18-hole course that was named one of the best new courses of 2007 in the country by ‘Golf Digest,’” the release stated.

Longwood’s golf course — located on Johnston Drive — will cease operations as a public 9-hole golf course on June 30, and the university’s handful of full-time employees at the course will continue to work at Longwood. The university’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams will also begin making regular use of the rolling terrain of the Longwood course, the release stated.

“With the availability of other courses nearby, public use of the Longwood course has declined over the past decade in particular,” said Pierson, whose division of the university oversees the course.

According to a guest column written by Pierson for The Herald, a small portion of the course will continue as practice grounds for the golf teams, and university classes and lessons will be held there.