Speeding Through L

This weekend, I went to the U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld in Stevens Point. It’s a golf tournament that for the first time, was hosted by the newly renovated SentryWorld golf course on the grounds of the Sentry Insurance campus.

I have been to SentryWorld for numerous events. I’ve never been out on the golf course because, let’s face it, I don’t belong on a nice golf course like that.

The event was the first professional golf tournament I had been a spectator at so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When we arrived, we saw how big of an event the tournament actually was as the campus at SentryWorld was packed with spectators. There were numerous tents set up with vendors from around Wisconsin giving away free samples of beer, potatoes or even a shot to win a tractor if you hit a hole in one at a golf simulator.

We toured the grounds and went to the merchandise tent before heading to Club Sentry, where our tickets for the seating area on the 18th green were located. We were able to get drinks and food there as the amenities came complimentary with the tickets. While we didn’t spend much time there, it was a nice place to go for a break from the action. We watched multiple groups tee off on the first tee box and then followed some of the golfers down the front nine holes. We then followed Wisconsin natives Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly through some of their third round.

The crowd was very impressive in its knowledge of the tournament and those playing. The tournament was beautifully set up and I was in awe of how well the actual golf course looked. I have never seen a golf course look that perfect. It seemed as if a grounds keeper had gone around to every blade of grass in the rough, fairways and anywhere else green could be seen and trimmed the fescue to the perfect height.

I had a couple of friends who volunteered for the event. One of my friends was a marshal standing down the fairway and marking balls that had traveled into the rough. Another got the lucky task of washing all the golf carts prior to the start of the rounds.

Getting to stand 15 feet away from professional golfers was a pretty surreal experience. The atmosphere, course and organization of the event were immaculate. I’m hoping to golf at Sentry one day but I can guarantee you one thing: My round won’t look anything like the rounds that the senior open players put together.

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