Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa saw 15 of its greens damaged by four-wheel-drive vehicles and all 18 flagsticks stolen. Bent Tree Golf Course in Jackson, Tenn., was the victim of arson on August 11, with damage estimated at $170,000.
The Bent Tree Golf Club’s 18-hole course in Council Bluffs, Iowa remained open yesterday despite the damage caused by vandals who ripped through greens and walked off with pins, the Omaha (Neb.) World Herald reported.
Tony Driscoll, head golf professional at the semi-private course, said he couldn’t put an exact value on the damage. He said, however, that the 18 flagsticks that were stolen were valued at $100 each, and each of the 15 greens that were damaged by four-wheel-drive vehicles were worth up to $50,000, the Herald reported.
“The greens, they make us the money,’’ Driscoll said. “They’re what the course is all about. But it’s also about the time and effort it will take to repair all the damage.”
Bent Tree began replacing the pins yesterday, Driscoll said, and explaining to golfers how they could play through the vandalized greens. “It’s just a shame to see all this damage,’’ he said about the course, which opened in 2000.
Bent Tree management is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to anyone found responsible for the vandalism, Driscoll said.
Suspicion turned to arson after a fire destroyed the clubhouse and golf carts valued at about $170,000 in a Tuesday morning fire at Bent Tree Golf Course in Jackson, Tenn., the Jackson Sun reported.
David Thompson, a captain on Engine 32 with the Jackson Fire Department, was one of the first responders to arrive at the city-owned golf course. “The call came in at 12:16 a.m.,” Thompson said. “When we arrived, the building was fully engulfed, and we had three pumpers and an aerial truck.”
Thompson said the gate at the entrance of the property was still locked when the fire department arrived. Lamar Childress, fire marshal with the Jackson Fire Department, said the fire began in the rear of the building. “We look for burn patterns, and the (fire) worked its way in,” Childress said.
The golf course, which is run by Pope Golf Management in Sarasota, Florida, is temporarily closed, but groundskeeper Jim Collins had work to do, the Sun reported.
“We still have to keep the grounds up,” Collins said. “Pope (Golf) comes in (today), and we might have a temporary trailer set up—but what we are going to do for golf carts, I can’t answer that.”
David Zeip, who manages Bent Tree for Pope Golf, said he was in the process of putting a sign at the front entrance to let the public know the course was not accessible, the Sun reported.
“The fire did very little damage to the course, and we’ve had several people come out (Tuesday) morning,” Zeip said. “We want to make sure we keep everyone away from the building…make sure nobody gets hurt. The course is playable, it’s just not open.”
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