Dirt bike rider ordered to pay $9,443 after tire tracks damage golf greens

Six people rode dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles onto Westwood Plateau Golf Course on July 20, 2025. Coquitlam RCMP identified two of the riders as Tristen Bucher and Jeffrey Peters; the other four were not identified. No criminal charges were filed. The course owners, Greentee Golf C.C., brought a claim in provincial court, seeking $14,587 from Boucher for repair costs, loss in the quality of the greens and punitive damages.

Judge Wilson Lee noted that Bucher chose not to testify and said little in his submissions. Since it was impossible to determine which defendant caused which damage, Lee found Bucher jointly liable for all of it. Peters and Bucher were ordered to pay Greentee a combined $4,587 for repairs.

Course superintendent Mike Putrus estimated that tire treads on the putting greens reduced their quality by $5,000, saying repairs left a noticeable change in their appearance. Lee disagreed, finding no evidence that golfers had complained about the greens. He wrote that, at most, the temporary damage to their appearance warranted nominal damages. The judge awarded the course $500 for damage to the greens.

Lee also awarded the course $4,000 in punitive damages. He said Bucher needed to know that intentional trespass and property damage have consequences, and that the public should be aware of the potential consequences of wrongful trespass on the claimant’s property. Bucher was ordered to pay Greentee a total of $9,443, excluding Peters’ share of the repair costs.