Repeated vandalism delaying reopening of Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Club

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Repeated acts of vandalism are delaying the reopening of a once beautiful golf course in Moreno Valley, and the owners are reaching out to the public for help.

It's hard to imagine the Moreno Valley Ranch Golf Club was one of the most picturesque golf courses in the Inland Empire at one time.

Saul Rodriguez works for Diamond Golf International, which is in charge of bringing the condition of the golf course back to its glory days in the late 1980s - but it hasn't been easy.

"It looked like a jungle, it was horrible," Rodriguez said.

But to make matters worse, the course has been repeatedly hit by vandals over the past few months.

Rodriguez said the clubhouse, the bathrooms and the golf course itself have been vandalized. Some of the windows to the clubhouse have even been shot out.

Some putting green was destroyed by someone on a dirt bike, but that's not all. Crews found that somebody tore up one of the greens to bury a dead animal.

"We started getting this nasty stench -- just horrible -- and we got closer, and you could see a dog's head," Rodriguez said.

It's obvious the vandals aren't paying too much attention to "no trespassing" signs, but crews are now working on a permanent fence around the whole golf course.

"It's going to be an iron rod fence, heavily planted on both sides, to keep anything out," Rodriguez explained.

The course was supposed to reopen by Halloween, but it's been pushed back to Christmas.

The owners have increased security, but they're asking for the public's assistance to help keep an eye on things.