WHATEVER the hows, whys and wherefores, news that Garnant Golf Club has indeed gone into liquidation is a hammer blow for the Amman Valley – and, of course, for those who have lost their jobs.

This was sold to the public as a classy facility on the edge of the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park, a course that would put Garnant well and truly on the golfing map.

While Carmarthenshire County Council leader Cllr Kevin Madge is no doubt sincere in his pledge to try to find a way forward, it is difficult to be optimistic at present.

Let’s face it, this is yet more bad news for the local authority just when they can least afford it – the loss of £160,000 of taxpayers’ money cannot simply be shrugged off in these cash-strapped times.

Coming as it has on the heels of the council’s failed bid to secure lottery funding to save Parc How - ard in Llanelli and the disclosure that the European Commission is probing claims that County Hall broke rules on state aid with the huge financial investment in Parc y Scarlets, suggests that this local authority possesses the Midas touch – in reverse.

Oh, and the Wales Audit Office public interest report into those two allegedly unlawful transactions is seemingly lurking around the corner...