Shock as deliberate blaze rips through golf club

GOLF clubs across Fife will be on high alert after a deliberate fire destroyed thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

Police have launched a probe into the incident at the historic Tom Morris designed nine-hole course at Leslie, the latest in a spate of vandal attacks, break-ins and thefts at clubs across the region in recent weeks.

The fire, which ripped through the storage facility in the early hours of Sunday, is being treated as malicious and is thought to have caused between £20-£30,000 worth of damage.

Fire crews from Glenrothes fought for more than three hours to bring the blaze under control after the alarm was raised shortly after 1am.

The inferno gutted the greenkeeper’s lock-up and much of the adjacent storage area.

“It’s heartbreaking to see such destruction which has forced us to close the course indefinitely,” said Susan Vines, a member of the club’s management team.

“The club has worked so hard in the last couple of years to become a community club and we’ve been overwhelmed by the level of support from residents and local businesses offering help.”

Fellow manager David Fraser said: “The fire has left us unable to tend to the greens because of the extent of the damage.

“We are waiting to meet the insurance assessor to find out if anything can be saved but we could be looking at between £20,000 to £30,000 worth of damage.

“Until then we are left without the essential equipment to maintain the greens, which is an added heartbreak because so much hard work had been done throughout the lockdown to get the course looking fantastic.”

The attack is the latest to hit golf clubs in Fife.

In June, thieves stole equipment worth £5,000 from nearby Glenrothes Golf Club, while Cowdenbeath Golf Club was similarly targeted.

The same month, vandals also destroyed a putting green at Lochgelly Golf Club after setting it alight.