Club releases video of bumbling thieves stealing golf clubs
By Alistair Dunsmuir
A golf club in Dorset has released viral CCTV footage of two men stealing clubs from its pro shop.
In the video, shared on Ferndown Forest Golf Course’s Twitter page, two men can be seen scouring the shop before one picks up two Scotty Camerons putters, valued at £425 each, and moves them behind a display.
This is presumably done to shield staff from seeing them – but they didn’t realise this meant they were now right in front of a CCTV camera.
The other man then picks up the putters, and moves away from the display, which results in the first man putting his body in between him and where he thinks staff are, making the duo look far from inconspicuous – and still all in front of the camera.
Before anyone asks, the staff were by the door speaking with another customer. These two walked out and got in to their van and drove away. We have all their details and have since identified them.
— Ferndown Forest Golf Course (@Ferndown_Forest) July 10, 2023
The second man then puts the putters down his trousers – although their heads don’t go down, and the duo then wander around the shop trying to put the man’s jumper over the heads, creating more attention.
When the heads are finally covered, the thieves leave the shop – with one of them clearly limping.
The club tweeted: “The standard of crooks today has really gone down hill. Watch this from yesterday at our Royal Winchester Shop…. Just needs a Benny Hill tune played over the top. I promise it is real and not a set up.
“These two walked out and got in to their van and drove away. We have their details and have since identified them.”
The video has been seen more than half a million times on Twitter.
By Alistair Dunsmuir
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Good job they didn’t have to run – It’s quite hard straight-legged!
They need to be hit in the face with the putters
This picture seems to show, an old paradigm, in pro shop marketing and store design. Crowded tables, loaded displays, narrow isles, too much merchandise etc.,etc. Yes, sadly even our pro shops today, must be aware of shoplifters. Something we didn’t worry about years ago. CCTV is a great tool as are other video options. Shoplifters use merchandise to hide hands, items they’re stealing and faces. The way we design, these spaces for buying, should also consider those, who might be thinking about something else. Having less on display, not only gives us better lines of sight, it drives sales.