Historic golf club demands action after vandals drive out members

A historic golf club in England is demanding council action to prevent members being forced out by vandalism.

In April, Stoke on Trent Live reported that Burslem Golf Club had felt the brunt of yet more damage to its popular nine-hole golf course.

As well as thousands of pounds in damages, the club lost ‘disgruntled’ members following an Easter Sunday incident which saw off-road bikes and electric scooters rip up fairways and greens.

And now, Former club secretary David Munro has called for urgent measures to be put in place.

“There is a public footpath which comes from Salkeld Place across our golf course,” he told the paper.

“There were gates on there which were missing for three months and bikes were coming on and it took three months to get the gates back on.

“So, we put scaffolding up to stop bikes being able to come on the course and the council threatened us with prosecution. We’ve lost quite a few members; it’s just demoralising for a lot of people.”

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The club, located in Tunstall, and dates back over a century, has even had to introduce a new local rule, with balls being diverted by tyre marks on the greens.

Vandals have frequently targeted the course in the last year, inflicting up to £20,000 worth of damage.

“We have had a historical problem with bikers and damage over the years on the course but these six to 12 months, it’s really intensified, especially with electric scooters,” said Club manager Phil Hares.

“Since Christmas we’ve had five or six incidents and some quite bad damage, and we can’t hear the bikes with them being electric now.”

He added: “It’s the money side of it, the labour our green staff have to spend on it, and the cost of repairs with seeding and doing the work on it.

“We’ve had people leave this winter citing the state of the course for the reason they’re leaving and it’s frustrating.

“We are an inner-city golf club, and we’ve got quite a nice function room, and we do lots of functions for non-golfing people.

“So, it’s a good little community hub and it’s just frustrating that we’re trying to keep it nice and it’s been there a long time – we’ve been there since 1907, it’s tricky at times.”

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The council is aware of the issue and claims it’s working on a solution.

It’s believed the motorised vehicles are breaking onto the course via an existing Stoke-on-Trent City Council right of way path.

Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for city pride, environment and sustainability, said: “We’re actively working on a solution that protects the golf club and its members while respecting the public right of way.

“It’s a complex issue with no easy fix, and any approach must keep the path open and accessible to everyone.

“Illegal biking is a menace. We are working with Staffordshire Police to crack down on those who damage green spaces and put the public at risk through the use of off-road motorbikes.

“We are stepping up patrols in problem areas and offenders can – and will – have their bikes seized.”

Image credit: Stoke on Trent Live/Phil Hares

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 Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.