While strategic tree removal has become a common practice in golf for improving course conditions and aesthetics, an incident at Cokato Town & Country Club highlights the stark difference between intentional management and destructive vandalism.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, one or more vandals trespassed onto the Cokato Town & Country Club, a modest nine-hole course located an hour west of Minneapolis. There, they felled a nearly century-old, 70-foot Douglas fir. The tree had been a significant feature, strategically positioned at the bend of the par-4 7th hole, a dogleg right.
Eyewitnesses reported observing a silver-and-white pickup truck near the course around 2 a.m., along with an individual moving across the darkened grounds towards the 7th hole.
Adam Tabberson, a board member at Cokato, indicated that the club operates under the assumption the culprit had previously played the course and held a grievance against the tree. Tabberson explained the tree’s impact, saying, “Depending on your game, it could definitely be a problem. You had a good chance of hitting it if you sliced.”
The tree’s prominence on the 7th hole was not original. While Cokato first opened in 1929, the course underwent a redesign in the late 1950s. During this rerouting, the fir, then much smaller, was incorporated into the design of the 7th hole, having previously influenced play on the 5th. This piece of the club’s history is now irrevocably lost, representing a permanent change that, unlike minor course damage, cannot be quickly rectified. “We’d have to plant something much smaller and wait for it to grow,” Tabberson noted regarding potential replacement.
The financial impact extends to cleanup efforts. Tabberson estimated that removing the felled tree would cost over $5,000, a significant expense for a club that charges modest greens fees of $15 for walking rounds and $25 for two loops. Despite this, the club is committed to addressing the issue and is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible.
Despite the incident, play at Cokato continued as scheduled on Thursday. Fortunately, the tree fell clear of the playing corridors, causing no damage to the course itself—a small consolation in an otherwise troubling situation. Tabberson expressed the club’s sentiment, stating, “Running a golf course is tough enough as it is. Something like this, it’s just a bummer.”
Source link