They paid tens of thousands of dollars for lifetime golf memberships.
But now, dozens of Plano couples say their agreements aren't being honored.
Los Rios Country Club shut down earlier this month.
In 2004, John and Diana Salvey said they paid about $18,000 for lifetime memberships to the county club, a deal they said they struck with the company, which needed money to stay afloat.
"Everybody did that in good faith because everyone wanted the club to stay in existence," Diana Salvey said.
It was a match made in heaven until this month when the golf course closed.
"We thought it was a lifetime, but it ain't a lifetime," John Salvey said.
The problem is with the contract.
It was supposed to transfer to any new company that bought the golf course.
Now, the city of Plano owns it and plans to convert it to a park, leaving the Salveys, and 26 other couples, in the hole.
"All that the members want is to be treated fairly. We don't expect to get our money back. We don't want that even," Diana Salvey said.
What they want are passes to play at another public golf course, something the city said it was considering.
"I don't think I have that many years in golf, but I just wanted to end it up in a pleasant manner," John Salvey said.
City Manager Bruce Glasscock said he'd hoped the previous owner would've resolved the lifetime membership issue before the previous owner's lease expired earlier this month and the course closed.
"Staff will look into the situation with the lifetime memberships and determine if there are any ways the city can assist," Glasscock said in an email to lifetime members.
In a statement to NBC 5, Plano's Parks and Recreation director wrote:
"We were hoping the owner we purchased the golf course from would resolve the lifetime membership issue before the lease term ended. We empathize with those members, but from a city perspective, there's not much we can do."
