A RACIST vandal attacked Woodford golf course over the weekend, gouging racist and lewd remarks into greens, causing substantial damage.

The vandal gouged out turf around the pins, ground his heels into the grass, and hurled flagpoles into Epping Forest trees.

The targeted greens were the third, fourth and sixth and the damage was discovered by early morning golfers on Monday.

The attack comes after recent incidents at the club have seen quad bikes driven over the greens and also large groups of up to 60 youths giving players abuse while they're on the course.

Police, who have been informed of the latest attack, are now stepping up their presence in and around the Woodford Golf Club in Sunset Avenue.

After the latest attack, a spokesman for the club said: "This was a senseless attack by a moron with no concern whatever for the rights and enjoyment of others.

"Of course, the greens will recover; they always do. Our staff have been out replacing flags and positioning different cups on the affected greens. They will do their best to have the greens back in a playable state for competitions in the week.

"But it will take a while for them to return to their original state when they were rated among the best in the Essex Golf Union."

One of the golfers who discovered the damage, John Wade, said: "This mindless damage is symptomatic of the declining morals of 21st century Britain."

The vandalism left gouges as deep as six inches in some of the greens and Mr Wade said the feeling among club members after the attack was one of disgust.

He added: "The golf club puts a tremendous amount of effort into taming this woodland so that dog-walkers, horse-riders and the general public as well as golfers can enjoy it. And this is the thanks we get."