This popular Scottish golf club has been left on the brink after devastating floods engulfed the course.
One of Scotland’s most historic golf clubs has been rocked after devastating floods left its course completely submerged.
Aerial images of Dumbarton Golf Club show the shocking extent of the damage caused by Storm Boelo, which ripped through the UK last weekend.
Many Scottish towns were left under water after 80mph winds and heavy rain caused chaos, and only a handful of raised greens have been left visible on this 138-year-old course.
Paul Savage, the vice-captain at Dumbarton, told the Glasgow Times that the club has been left on the brink after the River Leven burst its banks, with an estimated 300 million litres of water engulfing the popular parkland layout.
The club is now in rescue mode as it looks to pump the water out of the course as quickly as possible, but there will be no quick fix.
“If we pump out the water now, it will just come back because the actual embankment has collapsed, and we’re not in a financial position where we can afford to do this more than once,” Savage explained.
“We’ve got one chance to try and get the golf club back, or we potentially lose it if we don’t. It’s pretty devastating; it’s been a tough couple of days. To wake up on Sunday morning and that was the picture. It was heartbreaking to see.
“Nobody can remember the course being as badly flooded as this before.”
Dumbarton has also reduced the club’s opening hours in a bid to save money during the crisis.
An update from the club on Facebook added: “We are left to try and do what we can to get the water off the course as quickly as possible. This will probably result in extra pumps being required at our cost. We are currently trying to secure these.
“The damage to the course once the water has receded is difficult to imagine right now.
“Bunkers may all need to be re-sanded, multiple bridges will need to be rebuilt, debris will take time to remove, and there are a number of damaged trees that we cannot get to. This will result in a significant cost as well.”