Hundreds of Pokemon Go players are being chased off a Victorian golf course by security guards in golf buggies as the council cracks down on the gamers.
Council-owned Glen Waverley Golf Course has been forced to erect signs and hire security after hundreds of people engrossed in their phones were congregating on the course at all hours of the day, even with golf balls whizzing past.
"We've had up to 500 people on the course at the same time creating all sorts of issues around wear and tear on the course, vandalism, damage to bunkers," Monash Council Mayor Geoff Lake told AAP on Saturday.
"It's just got totally out of control."
Players are looking for the elusive and rare Pokemon Charmander, which is in great abundance on the course.
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Mr Lake has pleaded with the game's creator Nintendo to remove the "Charmander nest" from the course.
"They haven't gotten back to us," he said.
"They gave us a reference number that suggested that we were in a queue that numbered a million, so we're not optimistic at the speed to which they are likely to respond to our issues."
Signs erected around the course plead with Pokemon Go users to steer clear of the course for their own safety.
Mr Lake is hearing that vigilante golfers are camping out looking for anyone that looks like they're playing with their phone on the course, while gamers are asserting their rights to access public spaces.
The security and signs don't seem to be deterring gamers, who are organising via social media to go to the course on Saturday evening to hunt Pokemon.
The council runs the public course to break even, and any unexpected costs incurred from increased foot traffic will have to be absorbed, Mr Lake said.
"I just wish we could find a way to turn these Pokemon go users into paying customers whilst also keeping them out of the park from flying golf balls," he said.
Even with the signs erected and security patrolling the course, Mr Lake is contemplating new methods to keep the gamers off the course.
"This is one of Melbourne's best public golf courses, we're very proud of it and we will take whatever action we need to take," he said.
