Championship golf course torn up by vandals

A championship golf course in England was ripped apart by a group of vandals on Friday, with a fairway and green left ruined.

The 13th hole on the Lodge course at Enville Golf Club, in Stourbridge, needed immediate work to repair the unfathomable damage.

According to a member of the pro shop, the culprits smashed through the gate and drove over the green and fairway.

While the fairway faces longer-term repair, remarkable work has been done already to fix the green, and it has re-opened for play.

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Sky sports commentator Ewen Murray was among those on X to pass on his best wishes to the club, which has hosted Regional Open Qualifying.

Murray questioned: “What is wrong with folk nowadays?”

In reply to another social media user, Murray said: “10 years inside would still not be enough. So distressing, so stupid, so utterly pointless.”

Course manager Andy Wood shared the images on X, stating: “I’ve had better Saturdays! Words fail.”

I’ve had better Saturdays !!! #golf #greenkeeping words fail 😡 pic.twitter.com/XecDgxCRnl

— Andy Wood ⚫️⚪️ (@andywoodgolf) October 7, 2023

Wood then gave an update on the course yesterday, heaping praise on his team of greenskeepers.

He said: “The team have done a great job getting it back in play, and we will complete repairs on Monday.

“Thankfully we still have the growth, so two weeks and we will be back to normal. Strange World we live in.”

DP World Tour golfer Richard Mansell, who was born in Staffordshire, shared his disgust on social media, too.

The Englishman posted on X: “Wow this is awful. Enville is a brilliant club with two quality courses. Hope those can be caught.”

The Midlands venue was founded in 1935 and remains one of the finest heathland golf setups in England.

In 2017, Enville hosted the the R&A Girls’ British Open Amateur Championship, and it is the current home for the R&A Girls’ U16 Amateur Championship until 2023.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.