STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — SentryWorld in Stevens Point is making final preparations to reopen its golf course, hospitality offerings, and boutique hotel this summer.
Manager Mike James says after being closed for the past year it feels good to get back to what they do best. “We are preparing to open SentryWorld in early June, so right now we are bringing a lot of staff back so we are ready to be open [by then].”
It’s not just the former staff and positions at the Fieldhouse or PJ’s that they are bringing back, James says they are also looking to add 60 positions at The Inn at SentryWorld, a new boutique hotel that adds to the destination offerings for golfers in the region.
“We are a destination facility. Our customers come from Chicago and Minneapolis, some of these bigger markets. So now we are really looking forward to reopening our business and welcoming everybody back.”
Once the hotel reaches full capacity there could be as many as 125 workers on the payroll.
James adds that they decided to cancel reservations and close up last spring because of the number of customers who come from outside Stevens Point, calling it a conscious decision to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
Once onboard the staff will then have two years to get their routine down before the course gets its big coming-out party when the 2023 USGA Senior Open comes to town. James says training and preparations for that event are already well underway.
“It is the largest golf championship in the world for those age 50 and over. Players who have highly decorated careers and are still playing at a very high level will be coming to Stevens Point to play this event at SentryWorld, and we couldn’t be more proud of that.
“Two years away, that goes by pretty quickly, so there is a lot of planning and prepration that’s happening right now,” he added.
The last thing to reopen will be the golf course, which is currently undergoing some redesigns with help from the USGA and Robert Trent Jones Jr. James says that will be ready to go by mid-August.
RELATED: USGA Senior Open Expected to Impact All of Central Wisconsin in 2023
Todd Kuckkahn of the Portage County Business Council praised the move in a press release saying “Economic impact is so much more meaningful when it comes from within and The Inn at SentryWorld has provided that. It takes so much more energy to bring new businesses in. When one grows within our community, the chances for success are so much better. Sentry and SentryWorld are not only creating meaningful jobs, but also are adding a great feature to our menu of talent attraction tools with The Inn. Their campus exudes what central Wisconsin is all about!”
SentryWorld has previously hosted smaller USGA events such as the 2019 Girls Junior Championship. The city was awarded the ’23 Senior Open back in February.
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