PLAINWELL, Mich. — An Allegan County golf course is dealing with a vandalism problem and the owners say it’s going to cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix.
Lake Doster Golf Club in Plainwell says someone drove all over two of its greens over the weekend, likely with an ATV.
“The pictures that you have seen don’t even come close to the damage that you can actually see on the golf course,” Matt Townsley, Lake Doster Golf Club’s head golf professional, told FOX 17 Tuesday. “You’re talking three to four inch treads every two feet on our greens, so I mean…there’s nothing left, so you’re better off putting out of a ditch on the side of the road than you are being able to putt on our greens right now.”
Townsley says, sadly, the course doesn’t have any surveillance video.
“Please just turn yourself in and admit to it. I don’t know the repercussions of what may come from it, but it’s easier to admit to it and ask for forgiveness than it is just to keep hiding from it,” he pleaded.
Additionally, this isn’t the first time the course has been hit with vandalism.
“They took the 150-yard marker posts and jammed them in the green 24-30 times. I mean, they took signs that we had, we had an outing the next day. They destroyed those signs,” Townsley added.
They couldn’t find any suspects that time, but now, they’re hoping for some answers.
“We did follow the tracks. There’s possibly two entry points. One would be possibly from the gravel pit, but 90-percent of the time, that’s not the issue. Majority of it’s coming from Second Street,” Townsley explained.
As for what’s next— “It’s a possibility we could reseed them and let them grow and somehow do something. It’s also a possibility we may not ever get the greens back. We may have to make temporary greens,” Townsley said.
The course is closed for the season, but it’s still serving meals inside the club.
