An A-Z visitors guide to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Sponsored by Key Magazine Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/561377
20 keymilwaukee.com If any golf course owner or player wants to see how a club should be run, they've got to check out SentryWorld. It's where people and technology come together to make golf the game it should be: enjoyable, challenging, and inspiring. Notwithstanding the 40,000 flowers on the par 3, 16th hole (there are 100,000 flowers throughout the course), Sentry - World has always been a Mid- west favorite. But with the redo completed last year by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and architects Jay Blasi and Bruce Charlton, it is now a nationwide winner. Don't be surprised if it hosts some significant tournaments in the near future or, at the very least, moves up in the rankings among America's best. Located in Stevens Point, Wis., about 150 miles northwest of Milwaukee, on the manicured and coiffured grounds of Sentry Insur - ance's corporate headquarters, SentryWorld has the feel of a high-end, year-round resort. Unfortunately, it still has no hotel with all of its related amenities like swimming, spa, etc. to make it a real resort. But its sprawling, renovated and recently enlarged two-story clubhouse has indoor tennis courts; meeting rooms and an airy restaurant with a relaxing patio that includes multiple fire pits and plenty of comfortable chairs to watch the play on several tees and greens. And while SentryWorld may not be a self-contained resort, there are several motels in the immediate area offering stay & play pack - ages. Being in a small city smack dab in the middle of Wisconsin gives SentryWorld a kind of insularity that adds to its charm and attraction. The people are genuinely nice and respect - ful, and the course staff is knowledgeable and protective of this gem. I happened to pair up with Tom Stenborg, one of SentryWorld's starters, on his morning off. It was obvious he was proud to be able to work and play there, and he knew ex - actly what a visitor like myself wanted and needed to know. Several holes have been completely reconfigured and rerouted, giving the course its first facelift since opening in 1982. The greens are devil- ish to say the least. Combine their speed with the severe undulations and subtle breaks, and you end up with, well, devilish. Get on the wrong side of the hole and don't be overly disappointed with a three putt. Take your lumps and move on. Then there are the false fronts, false sides, and the almost invisible line between the fringe and green surface ("infinity greens" as they're called) that make club selection sometimes problematic. All 54 bunkers are large and deep, and filled with fine white Ohio silica, making them a delight to play from because of their consistency. And they're constructed in such a way as to hold the sand in place (they're called "Better Billy Bunkers") even in heavy downpours that probably would wash out regular traps. The bright white sand adds to the resort feel and to SentryWorld's uniqueness. After all, the only time you see white in the Upper Midwest is during the winter. And water? Ten holes sport [ f o c u s o n g o l f ] Sensational SentryWorld Par 3; one of several 'infinity greens' MORE THAN JUST 'FLOWER' POWER