WPVGA Has Good Showing at U.S. Senior Open

SentryWorld and Stevens Point make history in hosting major USGA golf championship

By Dana Rady, WPVGA Director of Promotions and Consumer Education

When a business closes for an extended period in preparation for a particular event, it’s significant. Such was the case for SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point.

The beautiful and award-winning course opened in 1982 as Wisconsin’s first destination golf course, setting a precedent for other now well-known courses to come.

A revamping of the recreational and leisure areas of the insurance company campus began, in 2013, when Sentry Insurance Chief Executive Officer Pete McPartland decided that doing so was the best way to re-engage with a core customer base while also attracting new prospects.

McPartland initiated conversations with the course’s original designer followed by a successful reopening of the course in 2015. The next phases included fortifying the restaurants on site and building The Inn at SentryWorld, which opened in 2022. In 2021, the United States Golf Association (USGA) chose the course as the destination for the 2023 U.S. Senior Open. Thus began another two years of renovations in preparation for the week-long event.

Held June 27-July 2, the U.S. Senior Open brought in many renowned golfers, the favorite of which was Edgerton, Wisconsin, native Steve Stricker.

And what would an event in Wisconsin be without featuring products from the Badger State?

Experience Wisconsin

An “Experience Wisconsin” section of the grounds provided just the place for vendors to interact with visitors and share some things from home.

The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) sponsored a 10x10-foot booth in the Experience Wisconsin area alongside other area staples such as Wisconsin Cranberries, Point Brewery and J. Henry Bourbon, to name a few. The booths were open from 7 a.m.5:30 p.m. each day, allowing the vendors to interact with visitors on a local, state, national and even international level. continued on pg. 46

Wisconsin native Steve Stricker was the fan favorite at the U.S. Senior Open, June 27-July 2, 2023, at SentryWorld in Stevens Point. From Madison, Stricker played well all weekend and finished second in the U.S. Senior Open with a score of 5 under par. Bernhard Langer of Germany won the championship with a score of 7 under par. Langer set an all-time record for Senior Open tour victories with 46.

One woman stopped by WPVGA’s booth who was originally from Beloit, Wisconsin, but has lived in Australia for the last three decades. She brought some native Australians back to her home country and state just for the occasion.

At the Wisconsin Potatoes booth, visitors were greeted by volunteers from across the industry and given swag items like brochures, recipes, pens, pencils, notepads and can koozies.

And if those visitors happened to show up during the first few hours of Tuesday’s practice round, they were able to watch a couple old guys grilling America’s favorite vegetable and eventually taste test the recipes.

On June 27, Mad Dog and Merrill filmed a Wisconsin potatoes-devoted episode of “Midwest Grill’n” as part of their partnership with the WPVGA Promotions Committee. The filming took place just outside WPVGA’s tent in the Experience Wisconsin area at the U.S. Senior Open.

It was the perfect way to kick off the week while also giving visitors a feel for what Wisconsin potatoes can provide in terms of meals, snacks, salads, and summer grilling. The first item on the menu was au gratin potatoes on the grill! Who would’ve thought? But it was, oh, so easy.

MIDWEST GRILL’N

Mad Dog and Merrill took a large griddle full of sliced Wisconsin potatoes, onions, ham, and, of course, cheese, prepared it to perfection and spread it out on a large sheet pan.

Above: Mad Dog and Merrill filmed a Wisconsin potatoes-devoted episode of “Midwest Grill’n” in the Experience Wisconsin area at the U.S. Senior Open. With the first item on the menu being au gratin potatoes on the grill, the grilling duo took a large griddle full of sliced Wisconsin potatoes, onions, ham, and, of course, cheese, prepared it to perfection and spread it out on a large sheet pan. They also smothered Wisconsin potatoes in black olives, spices, and, of course, more cheese, put it in a cast iron skillet and placed it on the grill. The third recipe was a unique twist on a potato salad using mashed potatoes.

Next, they smothered Wisconsin potatoes in black olives, spices, and, of course, more cheese, put it in a cast iron skillet and placed it on the grill.

The third recipe was a unique twist on a potato salad. Instead of using boiled or cubed potatoes, this recipe called for mashed! Again, who would’ve thought? But it was, oh, so easy!

A delectable mixture of mayonnaise, mustard and spices composed the sauce that Mad Dog and Merrill hand-mixed into the mashed potatoes. And then they topped it all off with veggies like cucumbers, radishes, and paprika for good measure.

The three recipes didn’t take long to disappear as passersby stopped to smell, view, and taste the dishes. It was comfort food at its finest on the SentryWorld Golf Course in the heart of the Central Sands growing region during the U.S. Senior Open. Need we say more?

Another recipe that became a favorite throughout the week was a Wisconsin potato and cranberry salad. The idea of a combined potato and cranberry recipe of some sort to sell during the event was posed to U.S. Senior Open sponsorship contacts, but the mastermind behind the recipe was Chef Chad LaChapelle of Par Caterers.

The salad was a perfect way to shift visitors’ attention to two of Wisconsin’s many staples in a unique way. Since so many asked for the recipe, here it is: https:// eatwisconsinpotatoes.com/recipes/ par-caterers-wisconsin-potatocranberry-salad/.

The Wisconsin Spudmobile was also parked at Lot Q on the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Stevens Point campus, where shuttle buses were traveling back and forth from the public parking lots. So, while visitors waited to be taken to the grounds, they were able to cool off and visit Wisconsin’s traveling billboard.

Left: Nick Somers of Plover River Farms shows a visitor how to use the scroll/banner pen WPVGA was providing during the U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld in Stevens Point.

Right: Senior Open volunteers Todd and Barb Rice (foreground) of Waupaca visited with WPVGA Executive Director Tamas Houlihan at the Wisconsin Potatoes booth on Sunday, July 2.

A big thank you to those who took time out of their schedules to volunteer at WPVGA’s booth so that it could be staffed for 10.5 hours each day of the Open.