2013 Construction at SentryWorld

SentryWorld - Back in Bloom

An Interview With Brian Dumler, Head PGA Professional

By Brian Weis

SentryWorld was closed for the entire 2013 season, can you share what was happening to the course behind the construction gates?
SentryWorld, Wisconsin's first destination golf course, was undergoing an extensive renovation and remodeling during the 2013 golf season. All tee boxes, fairways and bunkers were rebuilt, fairways were replanted. Additionally, several holes were re-configured, there are two completely new holes and the course was re-routed.

The result is a beautiful parkland golf course that honors its history and tradition while offering experience that today's golfers want and expect.

In your opinion, why do you feel the renovations and changes were necessary?
From time to time, all golf courses and facilities are in need of maintenance and repair. This was the case at SentryWorld.

In the 30+ years since opening, the heavy golf course traffic was beginning to show. Architects assembled a long list of items needing attention: bunkers, drainage, the irrigation system, tee boxes, greens. The choice was either to take on projects one by one over several years, or close the course and complete all projects at once.

Closing the course afforded another opportunity - renovate and improve the course. We invited Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the original architect, back to re-configure holes, create new holes, and re-route the course.

We have not only maintained one of Wisconsin's iconic golf courses, we've made it even better. In the end, closing wasn't a difficult decision.

What do you hope SentryWorld will become when the course re-opens?
SentryWorld will remain one of Wisconsin's premier destination golf courses. It will continue to offer a one-of-a-kind golfing experience a top-notch golf shop, and a fun place to relax and visit after a round of golf. Those who counted SentryWorld among their favorites will want to come back and experience it again. Those who have never played SentryWorld will want to discover it for themselves.

But SentryWorld goes beyond golf. Non golfers will enjoy the other sports activities offered at the SentryWorld sports center. The new restaurant will be a place that central Wisconsin residents and visitors will want to bring family and friends. The wedding and banquet facilities will be the best the region has to offer.

Were there any changes to the famous flower hole?
SentryWorld's flower hole, Number 16, is iconic and synonymous with the course. Not only has the hole been retained, it's been enhanced. In fact, golfers and visitors will see more use of flowers throughout the golf course and SentryWorld grounds.

When is the course scheduled to open and what can golfers expect when they set foot on the property for the first time again?
SentryWorld is known as a difficult golf course, one that challenged the very best golfers. For the average golfer, however, a round at SentryWorld may have been too challenging.

Our vision for the renovated SentryWorld was seemingly contradictory: Make it a challenging course for the low handicapped golfer yet more playable and enjoyable for the causal golfer. We've achieved that.

The course is longer - over 7200 yards. Low handicapped golfers will have to think through their game as they are presented with several options for every shot. They'll have to use every club in their bag. Casual golfers can choose from several tee boxes, find more open fairways and encounter more manageable approaches to the greens.

Anything else to add or share?
The golf course is not the only facility undergoing renovation. The SentryWorld sports center, which houses the pro-shop, restaurant, banquet and meeting space, multi-purpose sports courts closed in fall 2013 for extensive remodeling.

The facility, which will open at the same time as the golf course, will offer visitors a completely re-vitalized facility with a real Wisconsin flavor. Plans call for a year-round space that can be used for a variety of recreational and cultural activities. Features will include a pro shop with a wider variety of merchandise, multi-use sports areas, flexible meeting space and a re-designed restaurant. The re-imagined SentryWorld will be one of the finest sports, meeting and banquet facilities in the region.

Article Tags: SentryWorld Reopens 2014

Revised: 01/17/2014 - Article Viewed 32,280 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.