Yobs damage golf green

Dozens of holes have been gouged in greens at a Black Country golf course after a gang of yobs went on a late-night rampage.

The attack is the latest in a string at Dartmouth Golf Club in West Bromwich which has seen the course churned up and bricks and metal dumped on the greens.

Now desperate staff at the Vale Street site are asking police for extra patrols to stop the club becoming a target again.

Staff were met with the latest scene of destruction yesterday morning. Around 24 holes have been gouged across one of the greens and debris including house bricks and a piece of metal were found scattered across the site.

The damage will take days to repair and could cause disruption to play.

Chairman of the club’s greens committee Peter Shirley said attacks at the course had been getting worse during the last three months.

“There’s about 24 small holes gouged in the green as well as two bigger holes,” he said.

“It can cause disruption as well as extra work and extra expense to the golf club.

“A lot of people tend to think that golf clubs are millionaire’s playgrounds but our club isn’t like that, it’s just a club for ordinary people.

“It’s very much a club for local people and when something like this happens so often it starts to affect the management of the rest of the golf club.”

Mr Shirley said it was difficult to protect the club as it covered a vast amount of space but new fencing had been put up along part of the course.

He said the club had contacted police and hoped to get extra patrols to keep the yobs at bay.

The attack is thought to have taken place sometime after 8.30pm on Monday night. The golf course has been the scene of vandal attacks for a number of years.

Five years ago thugs caused £10,000 worth of damage when they dug up two of the greens on the golf site.