West Liberty Golf & Country Club says they’ve lost a lot of members through the COVID-19 pandemic and, actually, over the past five years, hoping to honor them in some way.
Thus, members of the club decided to create a memorial for their members and hired an Iowa chain saw carving artist to make that happen last Thursday spending about seven hours to create a seven-foot tall cardinal that greets golfers as they travel to the first hole to tee off.
Created from a long-time growing ash tree that needed to be cut down because of ash borer disease, golf course superintendent Brent Parizek said they left about eight foot of the well-rounded tree for the carving, hoping when they sawed it down it wasn’t hallow and thus, worthless.
“The last five years, we’ve had so many of our members who have passed away,” said Rose Newton, appointed as the chairman of the project and a member of the club herself since 1977. Now, those faithful, long-time members of the club have a special memorial.
She said making the decision on turning the tree stump into a cardinal was an easy decision, saying the cardinal means a lot to people who have lost loved ones through the years.
The meaning of a cardinal appearing after death comforts people and helps people remember the good times. A definition of the meaning of a cardinal says, “angels are near,” and “when God sends a cardinal, it’s a visitor from heaven. Cardinals appear when loved ones are near. When you keep seeing a certain type of bird, it is usually a heaven-sent messenger of love for you.”
That’s exactly what members had in mind and it was unanimous that the red bird would be carved from the stump, Patrick Doyle of Doyle Carving Niche in Floyd taking about 15 hours before the three-foot in circumference bird was shaped and painted for members of the club to unveil Thursday morning.
“We didn’t even have to think twice about it,” said Parizek. “We’ve been wanting to do something for a long time.”
Doyle, who has done other work in West Liberty including an American Eagle at the home of Steve “Shooter” Shaw on Route 6 last summer, has created all types of carvings with his array of chain saws for years throughout the Midwest and said this was one of the biggest cardinals he’d ever created.
A plaque on the memorial tells it’s story, giving golfers and club members a way to remember loved ones who once played the course. Parizek said there have already been a lot of comments about the new bird, noting, “everybody’s been talking about it,” calling it a great idea and loving the memorial.
Newton called the artistry Doyle accomplished on the cardinal “amazing” and Parizek said he will put a seal coat on the bird, clean up the area and do a few little touch-ups to finalize the memorial.
“I think even Doyle was even surprised at how well it turned out,” Newton said, noting a sample in a photo he sent was of a much smaller version.
Doyle did say he was pleased with the way the cardinal turned out for the club, although saying that wasn’t the biggest cardinal he’d ever carved, noting he hacked out a nine-foot tall mascot for a high school in Minnesota several years ago.
The club is taking donations toward the memorial and anyone wishing to help with the cost of the carving can contact Newton or any club official.
Parizek said the country club lost about 20 trees when the derecho wind storm rolled through the area last August, noting another 44 trees had damage. Since, the club has planted 32 new trees, who he said someday, as they grow, will have significant impact on the nine-hole course.
Officials guessed the club has lost at least 10 members in just the past year alone. The club has about 200 members, but officials say they are hoping for an increase in membership with the ending of the pandemic, hoping younger golfers find the course. Parizek said a golfer does not have to be a member to take on the course, which is set up for 18 holes of play, including a pair of challenging water holes.
Newton is quite pleased how the cardinal carving turned out, noting golfers can’t miss it on their way to the first hole.
“It turned out better than I expected,” she said.