Joy-riders use club’s golf cart to rip up greens ‘‘ Everything’s been ticking along nicely and we haven’t had that cart very long.
Driving out of bounds took on a whole new meaning at the Manukorihi golf course on Saturday night.
Thieves stole a golf cart and used it to rip up the course’s greens before sending it over a bank, leaving it in scrub at least 20 metres from the course boundary.
A crane was used to get the cart back on the course yesterday.
Constable Darren Hayes said the vandals pinched the electric cart from outside the clubhouse.
‘‘It looks as if they’ve tried to get sideways – there’s some skids on the greens.’’
Mr Hayes said some of the greens had to be dug up and relaid. ‘‘They’ve mown over them and caused some quite significant damage.’’
After they tired of tearing up the turf the joy-riders sent the cart over the bank at the back of the course.
Manukorihi president Bill Watson was disappointed by the act of vandalism.
‘‘Everything’s been ticking along nicely and we haven’t had that cart very long,’’ he said. ‘‘Man alive, it’s frustrating.’’
He said the position of the cart 20m down a bank and firmly wedged in the scrub indicated some effort had gone into getting it there.
‘‘They must have pushed it down the hill at 100 miles an hour.’’
Mr Hayes believed the suspects came in through farmland at the rear of Otaraoa Rd. Police were looking at CCTV footage and were keen to hear from residents who may have seen anything.