Damage has been deliberatly caused to several greens on a world renowned Highland golf course.
Police are investigating the caused at the 3rd, 4th, 17th and 18th greens of the championship course at Royal Dornoch Golf Club and on the 1st and 18th greens of the adjacent Struie course.
The incident happened between 8pm on Saturday and 5am on Sunday morning, hours after the final play of the Jacques Leglise Trophy, a major international match played between two amateur boys teams representing Great Britain and Ireland and Europe.
The holes appear to have been made by stabbing the sharp end of the greens’ flagpoles into the turf.
Greenkeepers have been able to repair the greens to make them playable.
The vandalism at Dornoch occurred six weeks after damage was done to the 16th green of Dornoch’s Championship course, thought to be caused by someone deliberately driving a car onto the pristine grass.
A Royal Dornoch spokeswoman said: “It was very disappointing to wake up on Sunday morning to the news that four greens of the championship course and two on the Struie course had been vandalised.
“Both courses have been well presented all season with the championship course receiving many compliments during the R&A Jacques Leglise Trophy which we hosted during the previous few days.
“The damage has been repaired but it is very frustrating to accept that anyone would do such a thing to the courses which play such a big part in Dornoch life. The police have been informed but if anyone has any information regarding this incident then we would encourage them to come forward.”
A police spokesman said: “This is being treated as an act of vandalism. It is a case of inquiries ongoing and we would appeal to anyone who may have seen any suspicious behaviour in the area at that time.”
Similar damage was found on the second and fourth greens at Gairloch Golf Club on Wednesday, August 26, but was not reported to police.
A spokeswoman for Gairloch Golf Club said: “We don’t have any idea who would do such thing and we’re really surprised when we realised that it happened just days later at Dornoch too.”