Roars on the 18th: Encroaching Quail Hollow tree is carved into a large bear
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – From pine to large oak trees and bunkers, to this dreaded stream down number 18, Quail Hollow Club has plenty of hazards for the professional golfers, but one specific tree presented a unique challenge for the maintenance crew.
“In order to get grass to grow, it needs sun, and it needs air,” said Quail Hollow Club member Grant Schoonmaker. “This particular tree happened to be in the way of an unbelievably beautiful hole. It was encroaching after all the years.”
A large oak tree on the sixth hole needed to come down. Instead of chopping it into firewood, Quail Hollow member and co-owner of The Lodge Grant Schoonmaker decided to salvage the trunk.
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“Over at Quail, we try to recycle everything from the course. The trees are an important part, as we can see,” Schoonmaker said.
Schoonmaker hired Maggie Valley woodcarver Michael Ayers, who in shorts, a T-shirt, and Crocs spent nine hours at Quail Hollow carving a nine-foot, 8,500-pound bear.
“I’ve kind of always wanted to do chainsaw art myself, and now I’m too old,” he said. “8,500 pounds, it was bigger than we thought!”
From the snout to the paws to the claws, the detail almost brings this artwork to life. It’s now become a conversation piece at The Lodge where people pose for pictures. Even getting it there took an hour and a half and a crane to hoist it onto the patio. It was an all-around labor of love.
“It was tremendous. It was a lot of work,” Schoonmaker said.
Schoonmaker didn’t say what he and his business partner Mark paid in the end, just that having a piece of a 200-year-old oak tree from Quail Hollow turned into art was a no-brainer.
“It’s the hardest thing to cut, but it looks like it’s worthwhile,” he said.
Quail Hollow planted a couple of smaller trees where they cut down the large oak one. The Lodge buses patrons to and from the Wells Fargo Championship every year. Schoonmaker says they’ll need to treat the artwork occasionally to continue to protect it from the elements.
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