By Mike Anderson
For most of his working life, Fred Morgenroth has been the head greenkeeper at the Lakeview House Golf Course in Jackson’s Point.
So when someone did donuts with their ATV on the third hole putting green on the Sunday before Remembrance Day, chewing up large sections of the grass, he was angry—but not surprised, as it wasn’t the first time ATVs had damaged the course.
Two years ago, another ATV rider damaged the fourth hole green.
“I’ve been here 46 years, and it’s happened many times over the years,” he said.
“It’s just some dummy riding through the bush and deciding they’d come onto the golf course and cause some damage.”
Morgenroth estimates it will cost $1,000 to repair the putting green.
“It’s going to take a lot of hours and manpower to fix that,” he said.
“I’m going to put the pieces back and try to level it as best I can and finish it off in the spring with some seed.”
However, he admits that whatever fix-up he does will be noticed by golfers next season.
Morgenroth says he’s taken steps to deter trespassers, including putting up no-trespassing signs, but nothing seems to work.
“The signs get torn down in a few weeks, so it’s a waste of time. I’ve also often repaired holes in the fence, but it’s pretty hard to stay on top of it. And it’s expensive. They just either cut them or knock them down,” he said.
Morgenroth says the ATVs gain access to the golf course from the bush along Dalton Rd. and a trail entrance behind the Sutton Sobeys. He also points out that the back roads along Metro Rd N. provide ready access to trails bordering the property.
“I’ve had guys come and drop trees on the trail. They’ll come with a chainsaw and cut them up and move them,” he said.
Morgenroth wants to see YRP and Town bylaw officers step up their enforcement efforts.
“I know the police have ATVs. I would be nice if they could do a bit more patrolling with them,” he said.
The course’s owner, Mario Perini, also wants to see more enforcement.
He says unlicensed ATVs should not be allowed to drive on Town and Regional roads to access the trails that lead to his property.
“I want them to enforce the law. These guys are running rampant. You see them everywhere. They’re cruising down the road, and they’re always looking behind them to see if there’s a cop behind them,” he said.
Perini says trespassing ATV riders have also created large ruts in walking trails on his property, rendering them unusable.
“I’ve put signs on the entrance to my property through the trail system that they have. And they’ve ripped my signs down and threw them in the bush,” he said.
Perini sees he’s putting up more cameras and is even considering a reward for information that would lead to a prosecution.
“It makes me sad that we can’t stop this. I don’t want to send anybody to jail. I just want it to stop,” he said.
“But if I make an example of somebody. Then word will be out; don’t go on that property.”
Perini also asks residents and neighbours along the golf course to take photos with their phones and report unlicensed ATVs to police or crime stoppers.
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