A Gloucestershire golf course has become the latest UK venue to be damaged in an appalling act of vandalism.
It is at least the ninth time a UK golf course has suffered significant damage at the hands of criminals in recent weeks.
The vandal(s) drove onto Painswick Golf Club’s course at the end of August and targeted the third green.
Gloucestershire Police posted the image on social media along with the words ‘Why on earth would someone do this to one of our golf courses?’
Members of the club’s committee said it was the worst damage they’d ever seen – and it comes just a week before the club’s annual club championship with up to 40 members set to take part.
Billy Daws, competition secretary, said: “We’ve had vehicles on the course before, but nothing like this – it is the worst damage I have seen.”
He added that the club will have to decide on either patching up the damage or playing another hole twice this weekend.
He said: “It is sad. We try to co-exist with the public, and then events like this happen.”
There are stones that stop vehicles getting onto the course, but Daws told GloucestershireLive that a 4×4 could still get access.
Since golf courses reopened in May there have been several incidents of them being targeted by vandals.
In June weedkiller was used to etch abusive messages in the grass at Stanley Park Golf Course in Lancashire. In May Knighton Heath Golf Club in Bournemouth was attacked by vandals and arsonists, yobs tore up several greens at Shotts Golf Club in Lanarkshire and Henbury Golf Club in Bristol was also targeted.
And in July Great Lever and Farnworth Golf Club in Bolton said £10,000 of damage had been caused by youths leaving tracks from off-road bikes, while at the end of the month Leslie Golf Club in Fife was forced to close after it was attacked by arsonists.
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