Vandals have carried out thousands of pounds-worth of damage to the greens and fairways of a Scottish golf club.
Four of the 18 holes at Whinhill Golf Club were targeted by the riders on e-bikes, who used their vehicles to shred sections of the course’s fairways and greens.
Club members told the Greenock Telegraph the incident was the latest in a series of vandal attacks believed to have been carried out by young men.
Peter McFadyen, a greenkeeper and Whinhill member, said the repeated incidents were ‘depressing’ for everyone at the club.
“It’s mindless vandalism,” he added.
“Why do it? These guys might come up here and play themselves when they’re older.
“This has been happening since around October, and we’ve overseeded the greens and top dressed them.
“It’s about £200 for a bag of grass seeds and probably about £6,000 for top dressing going on the greens. That’s a lot of money to fork out.
“These are people who don’t care and have no respect.
“They’re spoiling it for everyone.”
Whinhill and other local golf clubs have been repeatedly targeted by attacks of this nature over the years.
Whinhill member David Pearson raised concerns about the impact such incidents could have on membership numbers at the club, and the costs associated with maintaining the courses.
He said: “It just spoils the place. On the fairways is bad enough, but if it’s on the green, it’s actually impacting the game.
“That’s four greens affected out of 18 now and you could include the 15th [green] as well. They’ve been on that, but it’s not as bad.
“If membership starts going down, and the council or Inverclyde Leisure aren’t getting as much revenue, that’s going to have a big impact. It’s selfish.”
“The specialist and dedicated green keepers are working hard to repair sections of the damaged course.
“The greenkeepers do a fantastic job in maintaining the course, so it is saddening for this work to be tarnished by these criminals.
“The vandalism has been reported to Police Scotland who are investigating the matter.
“We will continue to look ahead to another successful season at the course and for more information to support your local public course can be found at http://www.ilactivegolf.com.
“Monthly memberships start from as little as £25.50 per month and pay as you go options are also available throughout the season.”
Police Scotland told the Greenock Telegraph that they were unable to find a record of the incident.