Golf club appeal: don’t sledge over our course
A golf club has appealed to the public to avoid using its course for sledging after winter revellers left chaos in their wake.
Late January, snowfall drew a crowd of 70 to 80 sledgers of all ages to Lochgilphead golf course to take advantage of the slopes.
Blown up airbeds and sheets of old roofing were used as sledges, leaving four of Lochgilphead Golf Club’s pristine greens gouged with deep marks across them.
The course was left littered with broken sledges, discarded airbeds, alcohol and juice bottles. And, with a number of dogs taken to join in the fun, the fairways were scattered with dog faeces as the snow melted.
There are reports one young sledger hit a metal pole and had to be taken by ambulance to hospital – yet even that failed to stop the ‘party’.
Police attended the scene, but a Lochgilphead Golf Club spokesperson said this had little impact on the sledgers: ‘The ambulance, fire engine and police were there but they just kept going regardless. Even after the accident, they didn’t stop. They were up there until 10 at night.
‘They were not in just groups of twos, there was no social distancing whatsoever.’
The spokesperson added: ‘Members have been told to play on temporary greens to save the other greens for when the weather gets better, then this happens.
‘It’s hard enough to keep a golf club going in these times.
‘It will take months to fix, costing the club heavily in manpower hours and products to restore the greens.’
Inspector Julie McLeish of Lochgilphead said Police Scotland were made aware by the Scottish Ambulance Service that they had been dealing with an injured person on Sunday January 24 in Lochgilphead.
‘Officers then engaged with a number of people sledging in the area and provided suitable advice in relation to current government coronavirus regulations,’ she added.
Inspector McLeish added there was no further police action required and people were dispersed from the area.
Police are now engaging with the club to address concerns.
The Lochgilphead Golf Club spokesperson appealed: ‘We appreciate people want to have a bit of fun, but please respect the fact the golf course is private property, not a public park, and should not be used in that way.’