Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1982), Robert Trent Jones Jr./Jay Blasi/Bruce Charlton (2014, Renovation)

Location: Stevens Point, Wisconsin

History: SentryWorld was the vision of Sentry Insurance CEO John Joanis, who wanted to build a golf course for the company near its headquarters in Central Wisconsin. This dream became a reality in 1982 with the opening of a course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Jones was quite proud of his new design, proclaiming it was his “Mona Lisa” at the opening press conference. In 2013, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and his team returned to SentryWorld and performed an extensive renovation of the course. It has hosted several tournaments throughout the years including the 1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship and 2023 U.S. Senior Open won by Bernhard Langer. SentryWorld has won numerous awards including:

• #49 Best Public Course in America – Golf Digest (2025)
• #81 Best Public Course in America – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #81 Best Resort Course in America – Golfweek (2025)
• #8 Best Course in Wisconsin – Golf Digest (2025)
• #13 Best Course in Wisconsin – Golf Magazine (2024)
• #15 Best Course in Wisconsin – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
• #10 Best Public Course in Wisconsin – Golfweek (2025)

Conditions: 10/10, SentryWorld takes great pride in keeping its course in excellent shape and it shows with one of the best conditioned public courses in America. Expect speedy greens with SubAir systems, impeccable teeboxes and fairways, and sparkling white sand.

Value: 3/10, Although SentryWorld’s greens fee includes practice facilities, cart, and their famous all-inclusive comfort stations, $350 is a bit steep for most golfers.

Scorecard:

Tee                          Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Championship   72            7320               76.6               151

Black                      72            7102               75.7                145

Black/Blue           72            6800              74.3                140

Blue                       72            6543               72.9               137

Blue/White          72            6255               71.2                136

White                    72            5961                69.9               129

White/Gold         72            5697               68.7                125

Gold                       72           5452                72.5                133

Gold/Green         72           5121                  70.8               130

Green                    72           4652                68.2                116

Hole Descriptions: I am of the opinion that Wisconsin has the best public golf in America. In addition to the high quality and quantity (11 of Golf Digest’s current top 100) of public courses, I am most impressed by the variety within the group. At Sand Valley, you have four excellent resort courses with a modern, minimalist feel. Erin Hills and the Kohler courses are big championship venues that have hosted Majors, and Lawsonia Links is a low-frills, cheap option with some spectacular classic architecture. SentryWorld is probably the least known and discussed of this group, and this is possibly due to the fact that it sits alone somewhat isolated in Stevens Point, has a short season (only open June-Sept), and is quite expensive.

SentryWorld also has a very different feel than the rest of the group as a parkland design built near the end of what I would consider the dark ages of golf architecture by Robert Trent Jones Jr. There’s a whole lot to like here, with phenomenal conditioning, wonderful amenities including all-inclusive comfort stations, and some memorable moments such as the famous flower hole 16th. While I very much enjoyed my round here, the architecture from Jones is not on the same level as the rest of the elite public golf in Wisconsin. This is certainly a course worth playing, especially if you value upscale amenities or conditions, but true architectural junkies will find more value elsewhere.

SentryWorld opens with a 423 yard slight dogleg left par 4. With the famous flower hole directly to your right on this teebox, this hole features a fairly tight fairway that turns left with bunkers on either side around 260 yards. This diagonal green slopes mostly back-to-front and is well-defended, with bunkers short, long, and right.

At 475 yards, the par 4 (!) 2nd is somehow longer than either of the par fives on the front. This beastly hole plays relatively straight with a narrow fairway lined by trees down the left and a large pond beginning down the right around 215 yards. The fairway widens in the lay-up area for those playing this as a three-shotter and the green is very large, containing a mound on its left side and defended by a small bunker left. Par is an admirable score here.

The 3rd hole is SentryWorld’s shortest as an 149 yard par 3. With a large pond directly behind this green, this is an attractive one-shotter with a bunker just short left of a wide green with some tilt towards the right.

After three pretty straightforward and unremarkable holes, the 4th is one of the more interesting holes on the course as a short, risk/reward 328 yard par 4. This hole gives the golfer plenty of options off the tee, with an immediate forced carry over a pond to a fairway that plays fairly wide up until about 265 yards. A well-placed bunker down the left at 220 yards is to be avoided and golfers may consider laying up short of this. At around 265 yards, the fairway narrows considerably and an approach from here again plays over the pond towards a wide, right-to-left sloped green jutting out over the hazard. Bunkers defend this green long and right and there is really nowhere to bailout here.

While the flower hole is SentryWorld’s signature offering, the par 5 5th is perhaps the most memorable for me. At just 467 yards, this number 1 handicap short par 5 is a fascinating hole as a boomerang-shaped dogleg left around the pond somewhat similar to the famous 18th at Pebble Beach. This teeshot is an excellent one that forces the golfer into choosing a line, with more aggressive plays cutting the corner and having to cover significant distance over the hazard. For most golfers, the safe play is something at or between a pair of bunkers beginning down the right around 245 yards. The 2nd shot is even more interesting, as the fairway continues to bend left, culminating in a diagonal green once again jutting over the pond. While even moderately long golfers probably have the firepower to reach in two, a tall tree sits down the left side of the fairway about 60 yards short and forces the golfer to either play over or around it to reach the green in two. A large bunker sits just past this down the right, making a lay-up difficult as well. This green slopes back-to-front towards the hazard, with two bunkers long. I wouldn’t be surprised if Robert Trent Jones Jr. took a lot of inspiration from Augusta National when building SentryWorld and this is apparent at the 5th.

The 6th hole takes you away from the pond as a straightaway 406 yard par 4. This is another narrow hole with trees and thick rough down either side and crossbunkers down the left at 190 yards and right at 240 yards. This putting surface slopes both right-to-left and back-to-front with a bunker short left.

The 7th hole runs parallel in the opposite direction as the longest par 3 on the course at 206 yards. This is another pretty one-shotter with a brief forced carry over a creek to a large diagonal green with a sunken back right portion. With bunkers defending short, right, and long, this is a tough GIR.

The 8th hole is a shorter par 4 at 339 yards and plays straightaway with trees down either side. This fairway contains some nice movement and large crossbunkers run down the right at 190 yards and left at 245 yards. Two additional bunkers defend short of an elevated green that contains a horizontal ridge.

At just 456 yards, the 9th hole is yet another fascinating short par 5 and one of my favorite holes on the course. From the teebox, this hole appears to have a very generous fairway but beware of a jagged creek that runs diagonally across this fairway from left-to-right and divides the fairway into three. Longer hitters will want to carry the creek down the left side to have a better angle in, but shorter hitters should aim down the right, where they have more room before the creek. This hazard runs all the way past the green, creating a split fairway for the final 180 yards. Golfers on the left fairway will need to carry this hazard to reach the green but may need to lay-up to do so and will flirt with sand on either fairway in the lay-up zone. This green sits right up against the creek with two bunkers long and some wild undulations.

After stocking up at the comfort station at the turn, the 10th hole is a brute of a par 5 at 566 yards. In contrast to the two reachable par fives on the front, this is a true three-shotter that begins with a tight, tree-lined fairway that bends to the left. On your second shot, the fairway begins to turn back to the right, with trees again down either side, OB left, and a large left crossbunker about 100 yards short of the green. This green is open up front, but rather narrow with bunkers on either side and two distinct tiers.

The 11th hole is one of two reachable par fours on the back side as a slight dogleg right at 293 yards. While the golfer is given options here, there isn’t much risk going for the green, which is open up front and surrounded mainly by rough. A large bunker does defend left of the green and a water hazard can be found long, but this water is tough to reach from the tee and not much of a deterrent. Pin position matters quite a bit here, with back left and right-sided swales leading to some very interesting putts.

At 165 yards, the 12th hole is a memorable par 3 with a heroic teeshot over water the entire way to a wide, peninsular green. I like how this teebox is extremely wide, giving the golfer numerous different angles into this green depending on the tee they play. Bunkers defend long and short and this surface slopes towards the water off a back mound.

From the Blue Tees and back, the 13th hole is one of the most challenging on the course as a 419 yard par 4. This is an epic hole, with an immediate 200 yard forced carry over the pond to a skinny fairway also lined by water down the left. Thick rough runs down the right and a massive bunker can be found in the center of the fairway around 255 yards, essentially creating a split fairway. This green juts out on the left over the hazard and is on the flatter side, with bunkers right and long.

The 14th hole is SentryWorld’s final par 5 and plays relatively straight at 516 yards. While not a terribly long hole, the fairway is tight the entire way with a water hazard beginning down the right at around 180 yards. If you can avoid this hazard, this becomes a relatively straightforward number 2 handicap with a right crossbunker in the lay-up zone and an elevated green defended by bunkers short, long, and right. This putting surface is another interesting one, with a significant right-to-left slope and two tiers.

The 15th hole is a strong par 4 at 424 yards with a straightaway teeshot to a tree-lined fairway containing a large right crossbunker around 240 yards. This green is bunkerless but set in a fascinating location to the far right side of the fairway. There’s a false front and steep, tight lies for those who miss short or left and a peculiar right front mound on the very narrow green.

All round, you’ve been waiting for SentryWorld’s signature hole, the famous flower hole 16th. This is a world-famous 168 yard par 3 with a back-to-front sloped green surrounded by a bunkers and a gorgeous assortment of 30,000 colorful flowers. If you hit it into these flowers, you get a free drop. Truthfully, this is a fairly unremarkable hole architecturally, but the flowers certainly make it unique and memorable.

At 331 yards, the par 4 17th is in theory reachable, but would require a giant cut over and around trees as this fairway turns hard to the right around 215 yards. A more conservative play is a long iron or hybrid to the dogleg, avoiding running through the fairway into two menacing bunkers down the left. This approach demands precision, with a front-to-back sloped green lined by a bunker right and water long and left. Anything coming into this green low or hot is at risk for running through into the hazard.

SentryWorld closes in strong fashion with a 412 yard dogleg left par 4 that runs uphill. Beginning with a brief forced carry over water, this fairway turns to the left around 230 yards with a pair of bunkers down the right at the dogleg and an additional bunker further up on the left around 275 yards. This approach continues uphill to an elevated, strangely-shaped green with a right-sided fall-off, false front, and bunkers left, long, and short. Pars are well-earned here.

General Comments: In many ways, SentryWorld feels like a private course with 20-minute teetime intervals, all-inclusive comfort stations, and near perfect conditions. The practice facilities are also extremely strong with a full grass driving range and large practice green. Golfers who want to stay on property now have the option of staying at the newly built Inn at SentryWorld, which borders the course and is quite upscale.

Verdict: One of many excellent public courses in Wisconsin, SentryWorld is a unique course with upscale amenities, impeccable conditioning, and a private course feel. While the architecture isn’t quite as captivating as some of the other public gems nearby, this is still a wonderful experience and worth a play on a golf trip to Wisconsin.