Devastation to golf clubs as storms wreak havoc
Golf clubs across Scotland and northern England have been posting shocking pictures of the devastation to their courses after they were hit by recent storms.
At Edzell Golf Club in Scotland, ferocious weekend winds caused even more damage than Storm Arwen did in November.
Damage from that storm had been mainly confined to one plantation area.
However, the latest damage has seen about 150 trees, some more than 100 years old, uprooted.
A club spokesman said they don’t know the full extent of the damage at the moment as the local area has been without power.
Forfar Golf Club has also been badly hit.
The venue lost 700 trees to Storm Arwen just a few weeks ago, which resulted in a month-long £30,000 clear-up operation.
It was just days away from re-opening when Storms Malik and Corrie hit, meaning the course has lost a further 120 trees.
Forfar Golf Club manager John Rankin said it is a devastating setback.
“It’s a real scunner,” he said.
“I went out with our head greenkeeper Keith Law and it’s a real mess again.
“We were looking to being back open later this week after what has been a major effort at the club.
“And now this.
“The damage is all over the course.
“Many of the areas which were badly hit the first time – around the 1st and the 14th – have suffered badly again.
“And unfortunately the seventh green has been hit.
“That’s a real disappointment because we’d been lucky to avoid damage to the greens in Storm Arwen.”
He said: “Everything was looking positive for later this week to try and get things re-opened.”
Forfar members formed a daily work squad over the last month to help the clear-up.
John added: “The harvester and heavy machinery just left last week but we’ll now have to get them back in.
“It’s too early to say what that will mean for re-opening.
“But we’ll be aiming to recover from this as quickly as we can.”
York Golf Club also revealed a tree fell onto the course during Storm Malik, nearly hitting the halfway house.
My home course Edzell Golf Club in the pictures – absolutely crazy and even worse when you see it in the flesh.