In another instance of golf course vandalism, the Mission Trials Golf Club in San Diego turned the victim. Some unknown persons destroyed the greens at the par-71 layout. The images of the destruction went viral on social media courtesy of a Reddit user, who goes by the username Canton Dog. They were later shared by NuclrGolf as well, a social media handle with a considerable fan following.
The images showed the greens bore the mark of someone driving their cart recklessly. Moreover, there were marks of stamping and dragging the club on the green. The grass was totally uprooted in some places. What’s more, the act of destruction went on in more than one hole.
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The Mission Trails Golf Course is quite popular among San Diego residents. The par-71 layout was designed by William P. Bell in 1964. Interestingly, this is where a young Tiger Woods won the Optimist Junior World Championship in 1990, one of his five victories at the tournament. Quite naturally, fans were infuriated at what happened to this historic course nestled by Cowles Mountain.
Fans demand ‘arson’ charges on the culprits
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The recurring sentiment was they should be punished. The method of punishment is where they differed. Some wanted them to cough up the cost. That has been the norm in other cases. For example, one greenskeeper shared that after a charity event, the organization had to pay close to $5K as one of the players destroyed the green.
It is estimated that the Mission Trails Golf Club has incurred damage between $15K and $50K for each green. It is not yet known whether CCTV footage of the suspects is available. “They need to pay the club the cost of repairs, then go to prison for the length of time it takes from them to pay it,” one user noted. Another shared the same take. “Pay for the repair, spend some time in jail,” commented that user.
Whereas, some wanted it to be treated as vandalism on any other business. “Same as committing Arson on a business,” one fan tweeted. Arson is a felony offense in San Diego. Per Californian law, a person can be jailed for 2-6 years when arson results in the destruction of a structure or a forestland. Whereas, if it results in damage to someone else’s property, the arsonists might be imprisoned for 16 months to 3 years. “Line them up, hands cuffed behind their back,” tweeted another.
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It is part of golf’s unwritten rules not to damage the course. Most recently, Tom Kim was raked over coals for stamping his putter on the green after missing a putt. Sergio Garcia has faced backlash and even disqualification for damaging greens and bunkers. One fan commented, “That’s awful. I used to play that course a lot when I lived there. I can’t understand this mentality.”
This is the second such incident in recent times. Just two weeks ago the Dennis Highlands Golf Course in Cape Cod, MA witnessed drastic damage to its greens. Some vandals drove their ATVs ripping the greens out. Before that Old Tom Morris statue at the St. Andrews was ruined by some miscreants. Even Billy Horschel came out to demand punishment at that time.
