U.S. Senior Open highlighted sublime beauty, challenge of this Jones Jr.-designed course
STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin – There are few destinations in golf that combine “money-is-never-an-obstacle” conditioning, absolute drop-dead beauty, an “are-we-the-only-group-on-the-course” sense of isolation and privilege with playability and challenge and public access.
In fact, the list of golf courses that fit those parameters might have a solo member – the peerless and sublime SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
You might have heard about SentryWorld, a 40-some-year old Robert Trent Jones Jr. creation that was Wisconsin’s first genuine “destination” golf course.
It’s famous for its par-3 16th “flower” hole, which is likely one of the most recognizable and unique golf offerings in the world. More than 33,000 petunias, snapdragons, marigolds, geraniums and other annuals grown on site are planted around the hole’s playing corridor every year, updating the design and colorways for each season.
But SentryWorld is far from an “one-hole wonder.” It’s wall-to-wall challenge and importance in the world of golf was justified by the United States Golf Association when the course was picked to host the 2023 U.S. Senior Open, which was won last week in record-breaking fashion by Bernhard Langer.
What makes SentryWorld rise above is that there wasn’t a lot of changes, if any at all, from the day-to-day experience at the course just because the USGA was in town.
“We didn’t create a golf course for the U.S. Senior Open,” said Mike James, SentryWorld’s longtime general manager. “We created a course that’s going to challenge the best players in the world, but also one that can be tailored to the everyday player while delivering an exceptional on-course experience for all.”
The only thing that will be different this year from the regular schedule is that when the course thawed from the Wisconsin winter cold and the weather turned warm enough to play golf, SentryWorld remained closed to the public until after the Senior Open had its run June 29-July 2.
It’s now open for public play, but the tee sheet is filling up quickly.
“We’re proud of the world-class nature of the golf course, and obviously proud that the USGA has entrusted us to host this fantastic championship,” said Danny Rainbow, SentryWorld’s director of golf. “This was a great opportunity to take a bar that’s already very high and take it up a couple more notches on the golf course.”
SentryWorld was developed by Sentry Insurance in 1982 as part of a sports complex that includes indoor tennis courts, banquet space and restaurants as well as a lavish on-site boutique hotel. Jones Jr.’s parkland-style championship layout is at the heart of the 200-acre property.
SentryWorld was previously hosted two USGA championships – the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 1986 and the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in 2019. In 2013, Jones Jr. oversaw a major renovation that was led by architects Bruce Charlton and Jay Blasi.
“Golf is part of our DNA,” said Pete McPartland, Sentry’s chairman of the board, president and CEO. “The camaraderie of play helps create the perfect environment for developing and building great relationships with our customers, business partners and the community. It’s why we built SentryWorld.
“When the 2023 U.S. Senior Open Championship is played here, we’ll again get to show the world what our beautiful course and community have to offer.”
Stevens Point is located in the center of the state, where fields meet forests and cool, calm lakes lie under wide, open blue skies. The course reflects this landscape, providing players with gorgeous views at every turn.
SentryWorld is renowned for its flawless conditioning and constant attention to detail that make its players walk off the course feeling like a king or queen for a day. Tee times are spaced 20 minutes apart, providing the isolation and pace of play that golfers crave and embrace.
Through location and design, SentryWorld challenges low-handicap golfers with narrow corridors off the tee and looming fairway hazards while also offering recreational players a friendly, inviting experience, all with breathtaking views and countless opportunities to use their preferred style of play.
The course incorporates pristine blue waters, impeccable white sands, and a one-of-a-kind course design in a seamless fashion. Water comes into play on 12 of course’s holes, while fairway and greenside bunkers nearly glow against their surroundings and towering trees border wide but formidable corridors.
When the new and improved SentryWorld reopened in 2015, the golf world rediscovered a course that retained its personality and playability, but with an array of new features, including rebuilt bunkers, friendlier sightlines, radically redesigned holes and two new holes. In 2020 and 2021, the course underwent a few more enhancements in advance of hosting the U.S. Senior Open Championship.
SentryWorld won Golf Digest’s first-ever Best New Public award in early 1984, but never made the magazine’s 100 Greatest Public ranking until 2017, as the highest-ranking newcomer, on the heels of the renovation by Jones. Jr. and his team.
Most of all SentryWorld is a fun and challenging course to play. Different tee boxes allows players of all skill levels to enjoy their round.
