Vandals strike at popular UK golf club

As if golf clubs don’t have enough on their plate. 

Whether it’s the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, or the threat to their courses posed by the weather and critters, there’s a lot to deal with for often overworked staff.

So having to deal with vandalism is incredibly frustrating.

Pwllheli Golf Club, a part links, part parkland layout on the Cardigan Bay coastline in north Wales, shared the above photo across its social media channels showing a car had torn up much of the 11th fairway.

“Very sad to come across this this morning,” the post read.

“A car has been on the course and has caused significant damage to the 11th fairway.

“The matter has been reported to the police.

“If anyone has information or has noticed a car driving suspiciously around the area over the weekend, please inform the police.”

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First reported by The Golf Business, a club spokesman said: “This seems to be an ongoing trend at the moment.”

A member of staff at the club added: “Really sad to have to attend to this on a Monday morning, especially after the hard work the greenkeepers and course volunteers have put into the course to bring it up to such great condition.

“Thankfully, the damage will recover over time but it is an additional task we could do without.”

The vandalism has caused an angry reaction from club members and locals alike. Barbara Williams wrote that “this person should not be driving a car”, while Glynis Ellis asked, “What is wrong with people?” Karen Lesley, meanwhile, described it as “such ignorance”.

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This sort of damage to golf courses has become a worrying trend in recent months. The historic Prestwick St Nicholas course was targeted in the summer, while Caird Park faced a £10,000 bill to repair vandalism to its greens.

More recently, the brand new Old Tom Morris statue overlooking the Old Course in St Andrews was broken, before being swiftly repaired.