Jamie McKenzie
Police are investigating after thousands of pounds worth of golf buggies were damaged as vandals drove them recklessly around a Highland golf course.
The incident happened overnight between Monday and Tuesday at Grantown golf course.
Five buggies were taken from a compound on the grounds and driven across the course before being abandoned. Substantial damage was caused to the buggies and various areas of the course.
Club professional Lewis Ware said yesterday that each of the buggies is worth £4,500 and that “at least two of them had been written off.”
The company which the club leases the buggies from will be arriving in the next couple of days to assess the damage, and if all buggies are found to be beyond repair the loss will be a loss of £22,000.
Flag poles around the course have also been broken and chunks have also been taken out from the edge of several bunkers.
Mr Ware, who has been the club professional for about a month, said: “Hopefully we will be able to rescue a few of the buggies.
“Nothing like this has happened here to this extent. It’s very upsetting to see this as Grantown is a small community and the golf course is an integral part of the community. It’s one of the top 100 golf courses in Scotland.”
Badenoch and Strathspey councillor Dave Fallows said: “This kind of thoughtless and mindless vandalism is something that has to be condemned whenever and wherever it happens.. It’s obviously a problem for a golf club, and all golf clubs, that are actually trying to make ends meet and keep going with reasonable subscriptions for local folk.
“When you get damage to that level it is an unwanted experience. I hope the police are able to take down the culprits.”
Police in Aviemore are appealing to anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area to contact them on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club was established in 1890 and is recognised as one of the finest golf courses in the Cairngorm National Park area.
