A memorial bench at Huntly Golf Club has been destroyed in a “shocking” act of vandalism.
The bench, dedicated to a former member of the club, has sat on the seventh tee for more than 15 years.
However, it was destroyed at some point over the weekend, with the greenkeeper at the club finding the wreckage this morning.
The bench has been completely wrecked and left in three bits on the concrete plinth where it used to stand proudly.
Club Captain Trevor Buckley described the incident as “shocking” especially as the bench was well-used by walkers who used the golf course during the lockdown.
He said: “It was just an act of mindless vandalism done by someone who obviously has nothing better to do.
“The greenkeeper went round the course on Friday and everything was fine, but then found the bench was trashed this morning.
“We’ve had people on the course recently sledding which is no problem for us, as there was snow and there is plenty of hills on the course.
“It’s just unfortunate that someone has decided to completely trash the bench, it looks like it was kicked apart.
“The bench is pretty sturdy and is on a concrete plinth so it’s not easy to destroy.
“It’s worse that it has happened now as the course has been used a lot by walkers who enjoyed the bench and we had some nice comments about it.”
The seventh tee is also the furthest away from the clubhouse, making the vandalism even more unlikely.
It is the first time an incident like this has happened at the club, with various other memorial benches also dotted around the site.
After posting a picture of the damage online, the golf club has been inundated with messages of support.
A friend of Mr Buckley has also agreed to create a new bench for them, free of charge.
The club captain added: “I was gutted when I first saw what had happened, it’s a really sad thing to happen.
“The bench is dedicated to the memory of someone, with a plaque that is clearly visible.
“Thankfully, someone I know has agreed to replace it and donate the bench to us, which is a good news story for us.
“I hope the culprits are found but it will be difficult as there is no CCTV on the course, and you can enter the course from a number of different places.
“Hopefully we can get the new bench installed when the normal golf season starts.”
The golf club has yet to report the incident to the police but is planning to.
Anyone with any information can contact them on 101.