Long Read: Revisting the 2018 Senior Men's Lobstick

As a freelance writer for about 30 years, I'm always scribbling notes about events, incidents, conversations or memories. Occassionally, I'll post a piece or two that has been published. During long winters, I'll look over some of the notes and see where it takes me.

This "one" was fun to write! Read on...if you dare!

Early in 2018 it was my plan to begin playing competitive golf again. I had celebrated my 55^th birthday the previous November, meeting the eligibility requirements to play senior events.

When looking ahead to the 2018 season, admittedly, the Senior Lobstick in Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan was not on my radar. The idea was to play a few local tournaments in the Okanagan Valley, the one-day events that would provide an opportunity to get back to playing some golf that really matters.

Alas, a phone call to Craig Kinhnicki in Saskatoon during a February cold spell included some conversation about the Lobstick. He would be 55 in early April, making him eligible for the tournament as well.

“You’ll be the youngest player in the field,” I joked.

Within a couple of weeks, we’d both pulled the trigger, sent along our entry fees, and the planning began.

A Successful Return To Tournament Golf

The Senior Men’s Open at the Osoyoos Golf & Country Club was first up in early May, a one-day event played on the Park Meadows course. It’s the layout I enjoy most in Osoyoos, so a good fit to get started.

It was a long day, made even longer when I learned my score of 76 would result in a three-way playoff for the championship. A nice surprise for certain, but Tony Baptiste from Oliver, BC took care of Al Bajkov and I on the first extra hole. Despite the loss, it was a good experience, a confidence booster.

Adding to the fun was my trip back to Kelowna, where I almost ran out of gas because I didn't want to delay my return. Gay and I were meeting friends at a Spring Wine Festival event...including Nipawin's own Waskesiu legend, Scotty Matheson, and his wife Tess Kirkpatrick from Saskatoon!

Heading out to the 9th tee for the playoff at the 2018 Osoyoos Senior Men's.
(R to L: Al Bajkov, Glen Erickson, Tony Baptiste.)

It's Not Always Easy

The taste of success in Osoyoos spurred me on to play in the Zone 2 Senior Men’s championship at the Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops a couple of weeks later. Earn a spot in the top four and the Zone would cover the entry fee and some expenses for the 2018 B.C. Senior Men’s Championship at Big Sky Golf Club in Pemberton in mid-July.

This is where I figured out quickly that in terms of tournament playing experience, I was indeed punching above my weight class. A couple of mental mistakes and bang! I swatted it around in 79, a score that wasn’t even close! A 73 would have gotten me into a playoff for a spot on the four-player Zone 2 team.

I probably learned more on that day compared to the event in Osoyoos. Effectively, these were my warm up rounds for the Senior Lobstick.

Saskatchewan Bound

The plan was to drive from West Kelowna to Saskatoon, where the priority was to see my parents. I would pack up the MDX, including our faithful hound, Mazy, and make it a two-day, one-night road trip. Gay would fly out later in the week, on the Thursday night of the Lobstick. I would pick her up at John Diefenbaker International Airport in Saskatoon on my way home from Waskesiu.

The road trip was smooth sailing, arriving in time for dinner with my parents. My mom has not been well for awhile. Diagnosed last year with Alzheimer’s Disease, we have recognized that things have not been 100 percent for a couple of years. The disease is presenting challenges for the entire family, with good days and others that are not so much.

My parents have not used the family cabin at Waskesiu much over the past three years. For a number of reasons it’s just not practical or enjoyable anymore. Selling the cabin has been a regular topic of conversation for a few years now, a tough notion given the place has been in our lives for about 50 years.

I don’t want to buy the cabin. My brother does not seem overly interested and my sister hadn’t been successful putting a deal together. And so, I figured this run up to Waskesiu would be my last visit to the cabin.

Preparation & History

I spent some time practicing at The Willows GC in Saskatoon on the Sunday morning. I'm not a real "range rat", never have been, but on the driving range, I basically played the Waskesiu GC, picturing each hole and each shot along the way.

It's a neat way to practice, rather than ripping away at a bucket of balls with driver. I also felt a sense of calm, surprised at how easy it was to be so patient on the range that day. I was pretty motivated.

I knew I could play the golf course well, recreationally or in competition. I had also played in the 2014 Waskesiu Pro-Am with Scotty Matheson, Kevin Wylie and Rich Chlopan.

Richie, from Regina but currently the head professional at Royal Colwood GC in Victoria, B.C., and I flew out from Kelowna, while Kevin and Scott are good Saskatoon lads.

I played well, shooting 74-70; 144 for the two days. But, at that time there was no amateur competition on the stroke-play side. That makes sense in a pro-am format, because so many guys would have been "in their pocket" throughout the event. On the other hand, I putt-out everything, all the time because I think it's just a good habit.

So, my 144-total was legit and was top five among the professional field. Point is, I know the golf course well.

I also finished fourth (72-72; 144) in the 2004 Lobstick Open, traveling from Edmonton for the event. That was the same year my partner Matt Gawley and I won the Willows International, fashioning a 60 in the scramble format on the final day to win by a couple of shots.

For me, playing with confidence at Waskesiu is generally not an issue.

During my drive to Waskesiu, I dialed up Fergus Ewanchyna, a Prince Albert-native and long-time friend. He's a guy I really trust. Fergus had won at Waskesiu when we were playing junior golf back in the late 1970's. I told him I felt pretty good about my game and asked him for some input. He said, "just play as if every shot is easy". 

That phrase stuck with me all week long.

Waskesiu At Last!
I hit a whack of balls Monday night on the range and dialed in the feeling that would trigger my back swing all week.

It's a slight nudge with my left hip and the feeling of the weight on my left foot as I took the club away.

I've always felt I have kind of a compact move and with age, there is much less rotation. It's almost more of a lateral slide, which requires really good timing.

When my timing is good - I hit it solid. When my timing is off, I don't get to my right side quickly enough, and I might not keep the golf ball on the planet. A lazy, hanging block is one miss. A nasty pull-hook is another.

The Lobstick: Day 1
The 240-player field is split up into two shotgun starts each day: at 7:30am and 1:30pm. I was in the late draw.

I was drawn with Craig and the Sarich brothers – Peter and Pat - from Bladworth, Saskatchewan. Peter’s son Cory played over 900 games in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. I knew we’d have plenty to chat about.

We started play on the 9th hole. I hit driver, 7-iron to about six-feet and rolled in the birdie putt, a very pleasant start. The back-nine was somewhat uneventful, producing a one-over-par 35 that included bogeys at 10, 15 and 18, and birdies at 13 and 16.

The Highlight of the Round - Part 1: A real highlight was the birdie on #16 where I'd ripped a 7-iron inside 10-feet and holed the putt for a deuce. On the way to the 17th tee, I saw a couple of ladies sitting on a power cart and found out they were watching for holes-in-one at #16. One of them was Mona Finlayson.

Mona was the vice-principal at Nutana Collegiate when I attended the high school for part of a semester. I was really a troubled young guy back then and when I told the staff I was leaving school, I was just done with it all, they asked me to come in the next day for a meeting.

The principal, Mr. McKenzie, Mona, and my English teacher Mr. Shewkenek were in the office and they were cool with my decision to leave school. But they had a plan...if I was willing to complete one more assignment, I would have a chance to pass my grade 11 English class because my marks were pretty high. They figured it would be important for me to at least leave with a credit for passing a class.

When I finally got my shit together as a teenager, I did graduate a couple years later...from Holy Cross...with just the bare minimum of credits. Without the consideration of Mona and the team at Nutana Collegiate, I'm not sure how things would have turned out.

It was wonderful to see her, introduce myself, remind her who I was (and who I  had become), and I was able to thank her again, 40 years later. A special moment, for sure, and we shared a few laughs on Facebook during the rest of the 2018 summer.

A few months later, Scott Matheson contacted me and said, "way to go man, you made Mona cry!" 

Another Highlight from Round 1 - Part 2:  A couple of holes later, I was standing on the first tee at even par for the round. And then it happened – birdies at one, two and four. Another birdie at the eighth, our final hole of the day, returned a front-nine 31, the little matter of five-under-par.

Finishing on the 8th green is about as far away from the clubhouse area as you can be. It's a great hole, a par-5 I have never reached in two shots. I never will!

For a terrific fly-by view of the 8th hole, click the link below: 

Waskesiu GC - Hole #8

With seven birdies on the day, including three deuces, against three bogeys, the four-under-par 66 was the low round on day one. It changed how I would approach festivities the next couple of days!

The scoring had not been completed by the time we finished dinner. We had no idea how the numbers fell into place. Everything would be posted the next morning.

The Lobstick: Day 2

I had the lead after round one, three strokes ahead of Scott Dutton from Calgary, who I knew of from our days in Alberta. From the Glencoe in Calgary, Dutton has been competitive in provincial events and has had some success. Local, provincial and national events - these days it seems like Dutton plays 'em all!

We began play on Day 2 at 7:30am. It really was a quick turnaround after a bit of a late night that included the tournament banquet at the course. 

We started on hole 17, in the same foursomes as Day 1. Truly, I would have liked the Day 2 draw to be set up according to Day 1 scores, but I certainly couldn't complain about another round with Craig, Peter and Pat.

I birdied 17 and 18 to start, another comforting way to begin and 6-under-par through the first 20 holes!

However, I felt myself relax, bogeyed holes one and two, then limped to a front-nine in 41 strokes. Yes, that’s fully ten shots higher than on Day 1!

Thankfully, with the two back nine birdies already safely in the vault, I played the first seven holes of the inward nine in one-over-par. I was not at all disappointed with the four-over-par, 74 on Day 2. I had played 36 holes in even par within 24 hours.

I have had problems with my hands for a few years and playing two days in a row has been pretty difficult. Three in a row had not even been a consideration for some time, but that was about to change.

The Lobstick: Day 3

This was absolutely the toughest morning I have experienced as a player for some time. i was scheduled to play at 1:30pm in the final group.

As an early riser, I had far too much time on my hands and I spent much of the morning talking myself in and out of winning. I felt nauseous the entire time.

I went over to the golf course and hit some range balls, chips and putts for about an hour, but that didn’t calm me down. It did help physically, as I felt my body was moving with some efficiency. 

Thankfully, my hands felt fine – none of the cramping and stiffness I had been expecting.

I killed another hour with Mazy. Man, our pets have so much love to give! Wandering around the Waskesiu town site was a perfect diversion and I never get tired of watching Mazy explore. We visited the breakwater near the main beach and ventured into some pathways around the area. I think the walk was beneficial too, because it kept me moving.

Game Time

The 1:30pm start went off without a hitch as we began play on the first hole. Here's how we stood, the final group:

Scott Dutton (Calgary): 69-71; 140
Glen Erickson (West Kelowna): 66-74; 140
Warren Gnam (Medicine Hat): 74-70; 144
Ray Krienke (Kelvington): 73-74; 147

I hit a low, skinny cut off the tee and Dutton chuckled, “don’t worry Glen, it’s between the trees!” He was correct, and dead centre in the fairway, 132 yards from the pin. I hit a nine-iron to three feet and for the third straight day, made a birdie on the first hole I played. Dutton’s bogey gave me a two-shot lead out of the gate.

When I bogeyed five, six and seven, I stood on the eighth tee down a shot. The next 15 minutes would become a blur on the 575-yard par five fondly referred to as Mae West.

The Decision
I preface this by confirming the golf course was really soft from a couple of days of rain. For the entire 54 holes, we played preferred lies, also known as lift, clean and place. In the fairways, one club length was permitted. If in the rough, the length of the scorecard was permitted.

Dutton ripped driver down the right tree line and my three-wood found the centre of the fairway. I hit a good second shot, leaving about 75 yards in for my third shot.

Dutton was in the rough and as I approached, I saw him take a club length’s relief. As he moved through his pre-shot routine and took his stance, I said to myself, “I just can’t be ‘that’ guy.”

“Excuse me Scott, please. Sorry to interrupt you. I’m not sure we can take a club length in the rough.”

Dutton backed away and looked befuddled. He shrugged at me and kind of laughed, “holy shit, Glen. Thanks. What was I doing?”

“No worries,” I said. “We probably both know a guy who would prefer to tell you after you hit it. Let’s do it right today. Take your time.”

He giggled again, proceeded correctly, and drilled his second shot about 110 yards short of the green. Then, he hit his approach shot to three-feet!

I was reeling, having just made three bogeys to give up the lead and now Dutton had a kick in for birdie. I had to hit my approach shot close. I took out my sand wedge and hit it 25-feet short of the cup. Just a terrible shot!

As I walked on to the green to mark my ball, I asked myself, “what the heck do the golf gods have in store for me today?”

Well, I drained the 25-footer.

Dutton missed from three feet.

We’re tied.

On the next tee, I hit another three-wood dead centre, but 205 yards from the pin. Dutton hit his tee ball wide right into the trees. Then he hit his provisional ball wide right. He emptied a sleeve, placing his second provisional in play.

As we drove down the hill toward the landing area, which is not visible from the tee, we found Dutton’s original ball on the cart path inside the tree line. He had to have been relieved! From there, we both scrambled for pars, Dutton’s being about as unlikely as my birdie on the previous hole.

I parred the 10^th hole to his bogey, then he birdied the 11^th. We arrived at the 185-yard par-3 12^th all tied.

My New World Record

The "swag", including the three golf balls. I
 started and finished each round with the same golf ball.

When Dutton laced his tee shot on the 12^th wide right into the trees, I had an opening. So, I proceeded to hit my tee shot wide right as well, probably my worst swing all week.

Dutton hit his provisional ball in play, then things just got downright silly.

I hit my provisional ball into the trees, about the same place as my original, only deeper. I hit my second provisional ball in the same place, then my third provisional ball right there again. Yep…that’s four straight pull hooks with a 5-iron.

As I proceeded to further reduce my golf ball inventory, I apologized to the group, letting them know they were watching me set an unofficial world record.

My fourth provisional found the front fringe of the green and as we headed off to hunt for golf balls, I asked the guys to remind afterward to pay the pro shop for the small bucket I had just hit.

I usually carry six golf balls, but I did have a couple more this day. Pretty lucky. But I was sufficiently rattled. Angry. Frustrated. Embarrassed. Dejected. Just a mess!

I walked into the trees and immediately saw a golf ball. It was Dutton’s original and he had a swing. He chipped it out to the fairway, knocked it on the green where he would later two-putt for a double-bogey.

After I located Dutton's golf ball, the golf gods must have whispered in Ray Krienke’s ears. I heard him yell from about 20 yards away, “hey Glen, Titleist 1 with blue dots?”

I said, “yeh, blue circle around the number?”

He said, “you bet”.

It was my original and I had a swing. My ball sat on a big piece of bark, which was curved but pretty wide. It was a complete stroke of good fortune for the ball to have nestled into this piece of wood. I knew I could get a club on it cleanly. My biggest concern was a fallen tree I had to pull out of the way, as I didn't want to disturb anything that might move my ball from where it rested.

I got that done and when Ray asked me if I wanted to look for my provisional balls, I laughed and said, "not a chance!"

Basically, playing the shot was like hitting out of a bunker with the ball placed on a piece of wood below a small amount of sand. I've practice this way from bunkers many times. The shot came off perfectly and finished close to the back of the green 30 feet above the pin.

And then...I three-putted for a double-bogey. Geezuz!

The Home Stretch
Dutton and I had both dodged bullets, though I had really felt like I had blown my brains out. We had both whacked it around and made double bogeys, but through it all, we remained tied.

Over the next hour, I never missed a shot. I didn’t make any putts, but I was solid. Dutton bogeyed the 14^th, then I bogeyed the 16^th. We were tied with two holes to play.

The 17^th is a short par-four, a driveable green we used to go for all the time as juniors back in the day. I had hit my 19-degree hybrid the first two days and did the same on Day 3. Dutton hit driver, a perfect shot that left him 20 yards short of the green.

I hit a good sand wedge to the back pin, about eight feet uphill for birdie. I expected Dutton would pitch and run his second down the hill, but he left the ball on the upper tier.

The Tale of the tape!

He would have about a 25-footer straight down the hill – a two-putt would be pretty good from there.

When he left his down-hiller about four feet short, I really went after my birdie putt, but it didn’t go in. A stressless par would have to suffice.

An honour to receive the hardware from
Waskesiu head professional Andrew Hnatiuk.

Then Dutton missed his par putt and had at least three or four feet coming back up the hill. He missed that one and tapped in for a double bogey.

On the 18^th tee, a tough driving hole through a narrow tree-lined chute and uphill to a blind landing area, I hit a 3-wood in play. Dutton hit a good tee ball too. My approach from 151 yards was long, finishing at the back of the green about 40 feet away. Just too pumped up, I guess.

Dutton hit his approach to 20 feet. If he makes and I three-putt, we’re going extra holes, but I hit my first put to three feet. Dutton missed his birdie putt.

Before I tried my putt for par, Gnam knocked in a 15-footer for birdie, to throw 72 at us and inch closer. I think Dutton and I had been so focused on each other, that Gnam just quietly played a real solid final round.

I stood over my putt for par and was surprised how calm I felt. I wiggled it in for 74 on the day to Dutton's 76. I knew I had won!

Heading For Home
It took awhile to get things sorted out back at the cabin, cleaning up after three days and making sure Mazy was ready to go.

I called my sister, JoAnn, to let her know I was on my way back to Saskatoon and she asked me why I was leaving so late.

She said, "did you win or something?" I said, "uh, yes."

Enjoying festivities with my parents, Clayton and Colleen.

It felt like she wanted to jump through the phone line and hug me. Just Awesome!

The drive home included a handful of phone calls as word had begun to spread quickly. 

There was also no way I would get to the airport in Saskatoon to pick up Gay, so that task landed with mom and dad.

Around midnight, I rolled into mom and dad's house in Saskatoon and enjoyed a couple drinks with them. 

The next night, it was over to JoAnn's for dinner, which had been planned in advance, but it became a bit of a hoot 'n holler.

My parents are non-golfers, but they are very familiar with Waskesiu and the Lobstick tournaments. It doesn't matter how old a person is, I just know that any time one can accomplish something that makes your parents proud, it's a helluva good feeling!

Waskesiu has long been a special place for our family, since at least the mid-1970's. Having left Saskatchewan in 1992 for Edmonton, West Kelowna and now Medicine Hat, we just do not get back to "the lake" very often at all.

Whether or not that all changes as we continue to grow older, remains to be seen. But, I'll always be able to look back at a few days in 2018, playing some pretty good golf on a great golf course.

FORE!

Epilogue: About a month after this exhilarating week in Saskatchewan, I hurt my shoulder at work in Kelowna. A stupid mistake while trying to wrench the steering wheel of a power cart while it was not moving. The result? A second-degree shoulder separation.

I played - endured, maybe - a half dozen rounds of golf the rest of the season and spent the winter rehabbing with cold-laser therapy and massage. My shoulder felt great in the spring, but golf was the least of my interests at that time. 

In January 2019, Gay and I had made the decision to move closer to home, closer to our parents. We chose Medicine Hat and based on our Kelowna realtor's advice, we figured on a July or August moving date. WRONG!

We listed our house in West Kelowna in early March, anticipating about 90 days before we'd sell. Of course, we ended up with two offers eight days into it and had a deal done that included giving up the keys on May 24.

We got a deal done on a house in Medicine Hat a month after selling in West Kelowna and the moving van with our belongings arrived May 30, right on schedule.

And yes, the 2019 Senior Lobstick was less than a week away! Defending champion. Zero golf. Packed up one house. Unpacked into another house. What a blur. Certainly not great tournament preparation!

It would be a pretty uninspiring T11 at Waskesiu. Not completely embarrassing, but the real highlight was playing the first two rounds with Dave Folk and Eugene Hritzuk. Just great golf and curling yuk yuks for those two days!

The shoulder injury became an issue as well that summer, basically butchered it with heavy lifting associated with the move from BC to Alberta. Good times!

It's gonna be a long road back!