Golf course clubs in the South are being targeted by thieves on the hunt for ready cash.
Twenty-five clubs from North Canterbury to rural Otago have been raided by thieves targeting green-fee boxes.
Late last month clubs, including Waimate, Tekapo, Otematata, Omarama and Kurow reported thefts to police, with burglars forcibly ripping off the tops of the green fee boxes.
Southern District Command Centre district deployment co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Craig Brown said the most recent burglaries included one in Alexandra on Friday, and Naseby and Ranfurly on Saturday morning.
Omarama was also burgled, for the second time, this weekend.
In Ranfurly the thieves broke into a bar area and took several bottles of alcohol.
Clubs had been notified of the crime spree and were removing green-fee payments.
Police were awaiting results of forensics. However, a 4WD - possibly a Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV with a tyre on the back - was spotted leaving the Ranfurly course.
''It looks like it is the same group of offenders.''
The offenders were making off with small amounts and ''in a lot of cases not getting anything, as the golf clubs are taking preventive measures to obviously get rid of their cash from the premises''.
Anyone who had seen anything suspicious was urged to contact police on 111, or via the anonymous crime tip-off line Crimestoppers 0800-555-111.
