Officials at Stirling Golf Club admit they have been left at the end of their tether after more vandalism left extensive damage to the course.
The latest incident - which took place between Monday night and Tuesday morning - saw some form of motorbike or electric bike being driven over greens on the course, leaving behind trail marks which the course’s greenkeeping team say will take months to resolve.
It follows a series of vandalism incidents at the course in recent months, including to their 11th green on November 1 and regular issues with stolen flags and flagpoles.
The club estimates the total value of the damage this year has set it back at least £10,000, with additional security measures being considered to find a long-term solution.
Managing secretary Garry Bowman said: “It’s very disappointing because we’ve worked hard to be a community club and 95 per cent of our members are based within five miles of the club.
“Our members spend a lot of money on the course and it is their money that pays for maintenance like this.
“This action does impact the members and makes them feel really uneasy and it also has a negative impact on trying to attract new people to the club.
“We feel as if we have to report it and we’ve been down to the police on this already because we don’t want to hide and pretend this isn’t happening.
“We’re now looking into the cost of installing further cameras around the course and in the clubhouse to try and catch the people responsible for this.
“On top of this and the incident on the 11th green, we’ve had up to 30 flags and flagpoles stolen this year at a cost of £90 each; we had images of people on the course doing it but unfortunately the police couldn’t use the images to prosecute anyone for it.”
The course staff believe the bike which has caused the latest damage on the course is a ‘lighter, electric trials’ bike due to the impact marks left on the greens, which they believe is a rare bike for the streets of Stirling. They have urged parents to come forward with any information.
Vandalism around the golf course and in the King’s Park area more broadly was the focus of police action in April this year with patrols being ramped up to deter antisocial behaviour.
The April disruption also included reported incidents at the golf club, including rakes and golf course markers being removed and damage caused to bushes in the area.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers were called to a report of vandalism to the course at Stirling Golf Club, Queen’s Road, Stirling, around 8.55am on Tuesday, 8 November, 2022. Enquiries are ongoing.”
