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Inukshuks on the Ridge

The inukshuks built around the Ridge course have become part of the magic we experience when we play. They peek out at you after you sink a putt. They watch your drive fly off the tee box. They wink at you as you drive by in your cart. Each has been named for someone at the resort – be it a member or an employee for something special they bring to the course and the overall experience enjoyed by all. When a non-member guest does something special on a hole, the inukshuk that lives on that hole becomes theirs for the day, and is theirs again every time they return. I hope those who have one named for them don’t mind sharing theirs with our guests when they visit. I also hope you get as much pleasure out of looking at them as I took in building them.
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John Pearce, Creator of the Inukshuks
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John Pearce, Creator of the Inukshuks

  • John Pearce, Creator of the Inukshuks
  • The Ridge Hole, 1 As you stand on the first tee, you will see a pair of inukshuks high on the hill to the right. Trying to decide who they should be named after was difficult, then our manager of Human Resources had an idea. Each year, the resort names two employees as employee of the year. One is from the front of house. These employees are seen by our guests, and so is their work. The other is from the heart of house. The work done by this group of employees is seen, but the employees often aren’t. One of the things our guests often comment on is that all of the employees they meet seem to be happy in their work. We all want to be here. So, the two inukshuks are dedicated to our employees of the year. That means their names may change year over year, but what won’t change is the dedication and effort they represent.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 2 Every golf course strives to be Predator Ridge. We are coming off one of the busiest seasons ever. In no small way does much of the credit go to our sales and marketing team and in particular, Ingrid Dilschneider. Ingrid is nothing short of a marketing genius and although her work often goes un-noticed by the membership and staff, her team is largely responsible for keeping our resort full with paying guests. Year after year, the same groups return to Predator Ridge because of the food, the service, the golf and the accommodations we offer, but it would all amount to nothing if relationships with returning groups weren’t maintained. The name of the very popular program “Swing Like a Girl” was Ingrid’s idea. The inukshuk on the right hand side of the cart path two-thirds the way down Ridge #2 belongs to Ingrid and her team.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 3 The inukshuk behind the third tee is called Pinky. That is the nickname of one of our members, Darrell Oshiro. He can explain how he got that name far better than this author ever could. Darrell loves golf and loves the resort. A welcome sight on the tee sheet, Darrell is a regular player, but he also does something not all members do. He consistently brings guests and groups to enjoy the Predator experience. This inukshuk commands a view of all parts of the third hole, which matches all of the places Darrell has hit his tee shot. Left, right, into the lake and every once in a while, the fairway. The inukshuk on #3 is Darrell’s.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 4 A favorite amongst the Valets, Player Assistants and Starters, Mary O’Grady gives the best hugs. Never do you see Mary when she is not smiling, so the inukshuk just short of the green and to the right of the cart path on #4 is hers. It smiles down on the fourth green, the Outlook cabin and Lake Okanagan. It is no co-incidence that that is usually the place where first time guests break into broad smiles as the vista we all know and love opens up. You see it for the first time right at that spot. How can you not smile when you take in that view? Now, we all get to smile with Mary
  • The Ridge, Hole, 5 Every so often, a person walks through your life and leaves an impression. Randy Zien, the Vice-chair of Wesbild which is the current owner of the resort, is one of those people. Randy is larger than life and lives it to the full. Used to being number one, he wanted the inukshuk on the first hole to be his, but was informed he had to do something special to be awarded that. He was given a target of shooting a seventy five that day and fell one stroke short. That doesn't mean Randy shouldn't have one named after him. This is his. It overlooks the fifth green on the Ridge course; the most photographed place on the resort. Later, his wife Shelley was awarded the companion inukshuk also pictured here. She gets that because the special thing she does is to keep Randy in check ! ! Shelley’s was built near enough so that she could keep her eye on Randy, but far enough away that she can enjoy her independence.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 6 The sixth hole is the signature hole of the Ridge Course
  • The Ridge, Hole, 7 Predator Ridge attracts well known people from all over the world including television and movie personalities, royalty, corporate giants and professional athletes. Two televised Skins games have been held at the resort. One of the professional athletes who has graced our fairways is Mike Weir. On May 10, 2012, Mike played with A.J. Eathorne and Dick Zokol – all accomplished PGA or LPGA tour professionals. As they played their way around the course, two members waited on each tee to play that hole with them. Kathryn Bowler and Alanna Petrusich nervously waited on the 16th tee for the entourage to arrive. Alanna tied Mike with a par which is no mean feat. Kathryn also scored a par and tied Mike. Both couldn’t have the inukshuk built on that hole, so Alanna gets the inukshuk just to the left of the path on #7 near the green. Those who know Alanna know she has made a picture of her with her stone man her facebook home page. Alanna also wanted one at her home. The one that was built tells a story. Ask her to tell you if you want to know it.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 8 As yet, un-named..
  • The Ridge, Hole, 9 As yet, un-named..
  • The Ridge, Hole, 10 A new member at Predator Ridge, Jill Douglas is a survivor. She lived through the crash of a small plane when she and her husband were flying back from Tofino. Her husband died in the crash. To get to know Jill, one needs only to read the book she subsequently wrote about that ordeal titled My Plane Truth. No pushover on the golf course, at one point in her life, Jill played for each of the BC, MB and Canadian Junior Girls teams. Jill likes the inukshuks and when she heard they would be named after people who did something special on a hole or for the resort, she immediately rose to the challenge and eagled both #4 and #10. Eventually, the news was broken to her that she could only have one, so the one on hole #10 is hers. Inspired by the true meaning of an inukshuk, Jill asked if one could be built at her home that would both tell her story of survival and also reflect her background as an interior designer. It sits at the entrance to her domain.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 11 The description of the Mike Weir event on May 10, 2012 was given previously for hole #7. Along with Alanna Petrusich, on the 16th tee stood a very nervous Kathryn Bowler. Kathryn is a retired family therapist and a relatively new golfer. She does her homework and discovered she went to the same school as Mike. Mike had already hit his tee shot from the blue tee box into one of the green side bunkers. Kathryn screwed up her courage and went for it. She hit her drive so well from the forward tee box she put it through the fairway but right beside the green. Very much an imp, Kathryn distracted Mike by talking about their shared childhood school as they walked together from the tee box. Mike was distracted enough that he hit his shot from the trap well past the pin and needed two putts to get his par. All Kathryn had to do was make a short pitch onto the green and take two putts to tie Mike, which she did. Alanna also shot par on the hole which created a conundrum. They both couldn’t have the same inukshuk, so the one looking down the 11th fairway from behind the tee box belongs to Kathryn.
  • The Ridge, Hole 11 1/2 The only hole where two very different and very separate inukshuks were built is hole #11. While playing a game with his regular group of eight, Ernie Zuccolin’s personal cart died on the 11th tee box where Kathryn Bowler’s inukshuk resides. He asked if he could take my cart and also whether I could somehow find a way to limp his cart back. Two valets came out with one of the Gem cars to push it back to the cart barn, but we couldn’t negotiate the corner coming off the 11th green and up the hill to the 12th tee box without damaging Ernie’s cart, so the three of us manually pushed it up that hill. It almost killed us. The very next day, a small stone man named Ernie appeared to the left of the path and part way up that hill. Note that the head is not the same colour as the rest of the inukshuk. It’s salt and pepper; gray and white. If you know Ernie, you also know why.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 12 Everyone knows when Barb Bridgewater is on the course. Possessing an infectious laugh, Barb can be heard wherever she is. She and her husband Ted are members who play regularly and it is always fun to tease them both. Some very entertaining shots have been made on the 12th hole and if you happen to hit one of them, then stop and listen carefully. You can hear Barb giggle. The inukshuk to the right of the green is hers.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 13 <br /> <br /> "Where's John ?" is a common phrase heard amongst the members of Predator Ridge when we want the speed of play improved. John Pearce marshalled our course with professional efficiency. We could always count on him to get the pace back to what it should be. He is the epitome of someone who works hard and has ethics in the workplace and knowledge of the job. To know John is to know a friend. His handiwork on each and every inukshuk at Predator Ridge is a valued addition to our environment! The inukshuk on #13 is for John.<br /> <br /> Laughter is the sunshine of the soul !!!
  • The Ridge, Hole, 14 This is the inukshuk that started it all. An effective way to marshal a course is from vantage points where the relative positions of several groups can be determined at the same time without interfering with their games. It’s a subtle, unobtrusive way of keeping an eye on pace of play. One such vantage point is the back tee of the 14th hole. From there, a good view of both the 13th and 14th holes as well as the tee box of the 5th hole which we all know has a tendency to plug can clearly be seen. While standing on that tee box, a group came up from the 13th green and got ready to hit their drives from the deck where the white tee markers generally are placed. As a courtesy to that group, I waited on the back tee deck until they hit their drives. A ready pile of rocks was sitting on the ledge, and they were quickly stacked into the inukshuk that stands there. The next morning, while driving towards the tee from the 14th green, that inukshuk came into view as the corner by the forward tee box was rounded. It stood, perfectly silhouetted against the sky. As my cart got closer, the head moved. A marmot had adopted one of the arms as the perfect spot to survey its domain in the morning sun and was snoozing there. I don’t know the name of that marmot, but whatever it is, that inukshuk is clearly theirs.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 15 As yet, un-named..
  • The Ridge, Hole, 16 One of the regular member couples who play are Dick and Marjorie Dimitri. Dick knew that inukshuks were being built and named when special things happened and caught me one day on the path through the cabins – a favorite place for him to walk his dog. He was proud to tell me he had eagled #16 from the blue tee box and wanted to know if an inukshuk could be built for him on the hole. He was taken and shown one already stood level with the green and on the far side of the pond. Dick had hit his tee shot into the flat and followed that with a wedge right into the cup ! ! ! The inukshuk at the 16th belongs to Dick Dimitri.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 17 The impact AJ Eathorne has made on women’s golf at Predator cannot be measured. Likewise her skill as a player. You only need once to watch her ball striking ability and ball flight to be totally in awe. The 17th strikes terror into the hearts of the rest of us mere mortals, but it is AJ’s favorite hole. She’s a bit perverse that way. Gender differences began to evaporate as soon as AJ started pounding balls thirty yards further than a lot of low handicap male golfers could hit them. Many female members began playing the white tees or the combo tees as a result of their AJ experience. The inukshuk on this hole sits near the green on the far side of the water where many of us have deposited balls on a regular basis.
  • The Ridge, Hole, 18 Doug Carrick is the architect who designed the Ridge course. A consummate gentleman, Doug is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. It’s true he had some wonderful natural topography to work with, but only someone with his creative genius could carve out the course we all play and love now. When you stop to think about it, over five million shots have already been struck on the Ridge, and there will be hundreds of millions more to follow. Every single shot is, was and will be a memorable experience, and we have Doug to thank for it. It is fitting that the inukshuk on the eighteenth be given to Doug. The biggest problem was where to put it. All of the inukshuks are positioned where they do not interfere with sight lines or with play. The eighteenth posed a problem because there is no such place on that hole. Those who can’t seem to break 90 or par or whatever target they have set for themselves might want to blame the architect and run him over with their golf cart. Two times every round, they can. Doug’s inukshuk smiles up at you from under the bridge as you leave the 17th tee so you drive over him then, and then again when you come back to the 18th green. It was my pleasure to name that inukshuk in Doug’s company when I took him there to see it. Thanks Doug for giving us such a wonderful place to enjoy the game we love.
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