Members and staff in Thorndon Park Golf Club in Brentwood, Essex, are currently recovering from the devastating shock of seeing their beloved track destroyed by quad bikes.
Designed by the legendary Harry Coltthis known arrangement is I highly recommend Golfshake and it is without a doubt the golfing treasure of the south-east of Englandbut for now our focus is firmly on repairing the significant damage.
On Sunday afternoon (around 4:30 p.m.), two ATVs were filmed traveling across six greens and over half of the fairways, in what may be the worst such incident we’ve seen. It’s too early to say exactly how much repairs will cost, but it will be in the tens of thousands considering holes three through seven and hole 16 are currently closed.
Iain Evansgeneral manager of the club, – he told the BBC: “We are all devastated – a lot of hard work has gone into preparing the golf course for members.
“The initial thoughts were a bit of anger and then surprise that someone could do so much damage.
“The sheer wanton destruction of what is actually the natural environment is simply terrible.
“Maintaining the surface and maintaining a beautiful turf is an art. We employ greenkeepers who now have the unenviable task of reclaiming these areas and preparing them for play.
“There has been vandalism involving motorcycles on the golf course before, but certainly not on this scale.”
Well, this is a lot right now, so let’s talk about the facts. On Sunday afternoon, two quad bikes drove onto the golf course and decided to do everything in their power to destroy 6 of our greens and several tees. Destroyed doesn’t even cover it. Like anything, this can be fixed and we will have… pic.twitter.com/Wx8vWAQ4bv
— Thorndon Park GC Greenkeepers (@GcThorndon) January 21, 2025
This type of vandalism has unfortunately become a recurring problem across much of the UK. Last year we contacted our equipment expert, Ryan Rastallchief specialist for Howley Hall Golf ClubWho described the dramatic steps taken by a facility in Yorkshire to combat the repeated attacks they have experienced.
Essex Police are currently investigating criminal activity at Thorndon Park and are seeking information that could assist their investigation, but as we slowly approach spring and a new golf season, members, greenkeepers and other club staff are still assessing the extent of what happened last weekend.
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