GOLF club officials have blasted a mindless vandal who ripped across their course in a 4x4 vehicle and churned up a fairway during a rampage of destruction.

The culprit spun 'donut' manoeuvres at Port Glasgow Golf Club whilst behind the wheel of a silver-coloured Land Rover Discovery and also drove over a raised green twice.

Furious members — preparing the celebrate the club's 125th anniversary this year — have been left counting the cost of the damage.

Club captain Nicky Rodger told the Telegraph: "Whoever has done this has taken chunks out of the elevated green — the damage is quite extensive.

"The club is already struggling a bit because of the lockdown and now we've been hit with something like this.

"It's a hammer blow, the last thing we needed right now."

The driver appeared to have a woman and a child with him in the vehicle as he sped around the course on Friday evening.

Mr Rodger said: "It's just senseless, mindless.

"We've been doing so much hard work around the course and now this.

"That big elevated 13th green he drove over could have toppled any car, even a 4x4, no bother."

He added: "I got a call to say someone was driving like a maniac on the course.

"He was revving and doing donuts and cutting the course up.

"I immediately went to there but he'd gone by the time I arrived."

A committee member said: "We are raging, to be honest.

"We're a volunteer-run club so this is a hard one to take.

"He drove over the 13th green twice."

It's believed that the vandal has particular local knowledge to have accessed the course, currently closed in line with current coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

The committee member said: "We take care to close and lock gates but he's driven across a dyke wall that has fallen down over time, so we think he's known about this as a way of getting onto the course."

The club has CCTV footage of what has been described as the 'old-style' Land Rover Discovery leaving the course at the time of the incident on Friday evening.

Police have been given the images and are now looking for the the vehicle and its driver.

Meanwhile, a club post on Facebook is said to have been 'quite fruitful' as part of a wider appeal for information.

It's not the first time Port Glasgow Golf Club has had unwelcome visitors.

The Telegraph told in 2013 how the historic course was invaded by cows, with the animals rendering several holes unplayable.

In a statement on the Land Rover incident, the club said: "Unfortunately our course was subject to damage by whom can only be described as mindless vandals.

"The culprits drove a old style silver Land Rover Discovery onto the course and done donuts and drove across a green.

"This has been reported to the police and we have CCTV footage of the vehicle leaving the club."

The statement added: "We ask all members, friends and neighbour to keep an eye out and keep our course safe.

"We would like to thank the member of the public who quickly reported it to us and for our local helpers who quickly headed up and only missed them by seconds as they drove away.

"What was even more worrying was the occupants appeared to have a young child in the back and were driving in a reckless manner which could have resulted in the vehicle turning over."

Police have asked for information to be passed to them via the 101 number, quoting KC01000520, or through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The incident happened at around 7.25pm last Friday.

Port Glasgow Golf Club — which has introduced special membership deals of £895 covering this season and all of next year too — was established in 1895, making it one of the oldest in the country.

The original nine-hole course was laid out by famous golf designer James Braid.