Waskesiu course’s lobstick to be uprooted
JEREMY WARREN A more appropriate warning than “Fore!” for players on the Waskesiu Golf Course might be “timber!” when the iconic lobstick tree is removed this summer.
The white spruce on the course’s first hole will be uprooted and replaced on Sept. 1, which is sure to be a sad day for many in the cottage community. Age and tiny destructive defoliators have taken their toll on the lobstick.
“It’s dead,” said Marg Ravis, a member of the course’s governing board. “It has to be taken down.”
The tree has reached the end of its natural lifespan, and a spruce budworm infestation contributed to its demise despite the community’s best efforts, which included spraying. Nothing could save the tree, Ravis said.
“Probably in another 100 years they’ll be planning for another replacement,” she said.
The community is raising funds to help pay for the lobstick’s uprooting. On Sept. 1, the golf course will host a public event at the first hole tee box so people can watch the tree removal and replacement.
“To play your first shot at Waskesiu is a unique experience,” said Peter Anholt, the course’s general manager. “That tree has been hit so many times. For it to last as long as it did is amazing, given the pounding it has taken.”
The lobstick loomed large long before the Waskesiu Golf Course opened in 1935 and the first golfer teed off. It’s about 30 metres tall and more than 100 years old, according to locals.
A lobstick is a tall spruce or pine tree used by Cree as a travel marker or monument. Most of the branches are stripped away, except for the highest ones.
“It’s not just a golf course icon. It’s a community icon,” Anholt said. “When you think of Waskesiu, people often think of the lobstick or the lobstick tournaments.”
The tree on the 335-yard par-four hole stands tall in the memories of visitors and golfers, he added.
“We’ve had people wanting to get married on the first tee box with the lobstick in the background, so you can see the importance of it,” Anholt said.
Because of the lobstick, which sits about 175 yards from the tee box, the first hole features one of the most unique golf rules in the game: if a ball strikes the tree from the tee box, the player can take a mulligan ( another shot without penalty).
“But you have to hit it in the air — no bounces,” Anholt said. “You don’t have to reload, but more people will.”
The rule is also applicable in tournaments, several of which are named after the lobstick.
The Renewing Lobstick Tree effort will continue to raise funds for another six to 12 months. Renting a tree spade from Regina, removing the tree and replacing it is costly, Ravis noted.
Slices of the tree might be made available to people who donate to the renewal project, but that’s just an idea for now. Lower parts of the tree may be too soft and damaged to turn into mementos.
“It’s a picturesque tree and it means a lot to the community,” Ravis said. “It’s a longtime symbol of Waskesiu.”
The replacement tree will only stand about seven to nine metres tall at first, and the mid- and lower-section branches won’t be lopped off for another two or three years, Ravis said.