Vandals rip into green

‘‘Idiotic’’ and ‘‘self-centred’’ vandals caused $3000 in damage to the Bunbury Golf Club green at the weekend.

Sergeant Craig Wood said vandals entered the golf club in Clifton Park overnight on Saturday and tore up the green on the fifth.

Bunbury Golf Club vice president Geoff Fuller said the damage to the green was heartbreaking and occurred just weeks before a major tournament at the course.

‘‘The ground staff put their hearts into this course and then they come up in the morning to find this rubbish, it just breaks your heart,’’ he said.

Yesterday, ground staff were working to meticulously fix the tyre marks and damage to the course, which is named one of the top 10 in the State, after the behaviour of ‘‘idiotic and ‘‘self-centred’’ vandals, Mr Fuller said.

He said it appeared a 4WDhad entered the course from the Australind end.

‘‘There are bollards and barriers there but they just bulldozed their way through them,’’ he said.

‘‘They came up onto the course itself and onto our number five green and did a series of donuts there and tore up the green, it’s totally unplayable.’’

Mr Fuller said the damage has come just weeks before a major amateur tournament at the end of this month.

‘‘That’s one of our big events of the year and this is just an untimely thing, something we’re extremely unhappy about,’’ he said.

This is not the first time vandals have struck the renowned course.

Recently, juveniles were caught trespassing and were charged with damage to the seventh.

There have also been problems with trail bike riders in the area.

‘‘It’s taken us to the point where we have to spend a fair amount of our money to upgrade security,’’ Mr Fuller said

‘‘We have already contacted a security company to conduct regular patrols of the entire course.’’