By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-01-23 22:46:14 | Updated at 2025-01-24 02:44:54
4 hours ago
A trio of quad bike-riding vandals have wreaked havoc on one of England's top-ranked golf courses, leaving a £100,000-valued trail of destruction in their wake.
Footage has emerged from Thorndon Park Golf Club in Brentwood, Essex, of three masked riders on two bikes riding roughshod over prestigious green.
The perpetrators, who were captured on video by a dog walker, left significant portions of the course unplayable after performing "doughnut spins" on the greens, sending chunks of turf flying into the air.
In the video, the witness can be heard asking: "What are you guys doing?" before the trio sped away to cause further chaos.
The yobs wreaked havoc on one of England's top-ranked golf courses
THORNDON PARK GC GREENKEEPERS
The perpetrators, who were captured on video by a dog walker, left significant portions of the course unplayable
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Drone images showed the extent of the damage to the prestigious green
THORNDON PARK GC GREENKEEPERS
The next day, they said: "The road to recovery begins. Initial repairs are underway and there's just one green left to seed, dress and fill ruts.
"Great progress by the team and our member volunteers whose help we are most grateful for. Team work makes the dream work!"
Approximately 75 per cent of the course's fairways sustained damage during the rampage, along with six greens and three tee boxes.
Currently, only 12 holes remain playable at the prestigious club, with holes three to seven and hole 16 specifically closed due to "extensive vandalism of the greens."
Initial repairs are underway, greenkeepers at the course have said
THORNDON PARK GC GREENKEEPERS
The damage is particularly concerning given the season, as club officials note that grass doesn't grow at this time of year, complicating repair efforts.
Club members have already stepped in to help clear debris - but the final cost of repairs could reach the six-figure mark.
Iain Evans, the general manager of the club, said: "We are all obviously devastated - a lot of hard work goes into preparing the golf course for members to enjoy.
"The initial thoughts were a little bit of anger and then just astonishment that someone can cause that much damage.
"Maintaining the surface and caring for fine turf is an art. We employ greenkeepers and now they've got the unenviable task of trying to recover those areas, trying to make them fit for play."
The manager noted that while previous vandalism had occurred, it was "certainly not to this extent."
