Vandals on e-bikes have been repeatedly tearing up the greens at a popular Edinburgh golf course over recent weeks, causing significant damage to the carefully maintained playing surfaces.
Craigentinny Golf Course, which is run by Edinburgh Leisure, has been targeted multiple times in what staff and management describe as a frustrating pattern of destruction. The attacks have left the greens scarred and damaged, affecting the experience for golfers who use the course regularly.
E-bikes have become the vehicle of choice for the culprits, allowing them to move quickly across the course and cause damage before anyone can intervene. The weight and speed of the bikes combined with sharp turning movements can chew up turf that takes considerable time, effort and money to restore to a playable standard.
Craigentinny is one of Edinburgh’s more accessible public golf courses, offering affordable rounds for locals in the east of the city. Damage to the greens directly impacts paying customers and puts extra pressure on greenkeeping staff who work hard to keep the course in good condition.
Edinburgh Leisure has not yet confirmed the full cost of repairs, but repeated incidents over a short period will inevitably add up, both financially and in terms of staff workload. Restoring a damaged green is not a quick fix. It can take days or even weeks for turf to recover properly, and in some cases sections may need to be completely relaid.
The incidents are part of a broader pattern seen across Scotland where e-bikes and electric scooters have been used in acts of vandalism and antisocial behaviour in parks, sports facilities and public spaces. Their speed and relative silence make them harder to catch in the act, and their increasing availability has made them a common feature in such incidents.
Local golfers have expressed their frustration online and in person, with many calling on the council and Edinburgh Leisure to install better security measures around the course. Suggestions have included improved lighting, CCTV coverage and physical barriers to prevent bike access to the greens.
Police Scotland are understood to be aware of the situation, though no arrests have been reported in connection with the Craigentinny incidents at this stage.
Edinburgh Leisure manages a wide range of sports and leisure facilities across the capital and has a responsibility to protect public assets from this kind of damage. Many are hoping the organisation moves quickly to put deterrents in place before the greens suffer any further harm.
For now, greenkeeping staff are left picking up the pieces, repairing what they can and hoping the vandals move on before the damage becomes any worse.