Vandalism at golf courses isn’t new, but what happened at Dullatur Golf Club last week hit a nerve. This isn’t a scruffy dog running onto the fairway or kids kicking a football across the greens. This was a deliberate act of destruction, carried out by four boys who stormed the club’s Antonine Course and left behind damage so bad the club itself described some of it as “vile.”
The Cumbernauld-based club went public with the news on Facebook, where they revealed that the culprits had damaged bunkers, torn up greens, and caused “other things” so appalling that they’ve opted not to release details until police finish their review. That’s how ugly this was.
And the fallout? Immediate. Thanks to quick responses from members of the public, the boys have already been identified and their details handed over to the police. The club isn’t waiting around for the legal process either. They’ve taken a decisive step: marshalling the course.
Marshalls Placed Out On the Course
On Sunday night, Dullatur confirmed marshals are now out on the Antonine Course, monitoring play and making sure that anyone out there — whether member, guest, or casual visitor — is actually supposed to be on the tee sheet. And they’re being clever about it, too. The marshals won’t always be announced. Sometimes they’ll be visible, sometimes not. In other words, anyone thinking about sneaking onto the grounds to cause trouble won’t know if someone is watching.
This isn’t just about Dullatur, either. It’s part of a disturbing trend. Vandalism at Scottish courses is on the rise. Braid Hills in Edinburgh has seen repeated damage in recent months, mostly from E-bikes tearing up greens. And at Clydebank & District Golf Club, vandals ripped divots from the 13th green in what members called a “soul destroying” act earlier this summer.
Golf courses, especially community ones, aren’t just patches of grass. They’re carefully maintained spaces where hundreds of hours of work can be undone in minutes. For clubs like Dullatur, which have been around for generations, it’s more than vandalism. It’s an attack on heritage, community, and the quiet enjoyment of a sport built on respect for the golf course.
