The Flower Hole: Robert Trent Jones, Jr.’s Mona Lisa at SentryWorld

Deeming it his Mona Lisa, the par three 16th at SentryWorld is one of the most recognizable and unique golf holes in the world.

Over 30,000 annual flowers are planted here every year, updating the design and colorways for each season.

I’ve always wanted to photograph it and finally had the opportunity to on Thursday during their US Senior Open media day. It was everything I wanted it to be, with the flowers in full bloom and absolutely perfect weather. The only thing that would have been better is if I’d had the opportunity to shoot it during the golden hour at sunrise or sunset.

I’ll be able to do just that Tuesday when I revisit with videographers Jeff Bertch (Instagram: @linkslandphoto), Kyle Walton (Instagram: @kylecwalton) and my buddy Scott as part of the WSGA’s “Wisconsin Captured” initiative.

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Wisconsin Captured will feature some of the state’s top golf content creators playing and “Doing their creative thing” at the state’s top 10 courses according to Golf Digest, which include:

Whistling Straits, Straits course (#3)
Erin Hills (#9)
Blackwolf Run, River course (#16)
Sand Valley, Sand Valley course (#18)
Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes course (#29)
Whistling Straits, Irish course (#47)
SentryWorld (#50)
Lawsonia, Links course (#68)
Blackwolf Run, Meadow Valleys course (#74)
The Bull at Pinehurst Farms (#91)

I have been assigned as Content Creator for both SentryWorld (on Tuesday 7/19) and The Bull at Pinehurst Farms (on Wednesday 7/27), and hope to join for several others especially for the opportunity to take drone photography at them.

The project is an homage to our state’s top golf courses by its top creatives, and replaces the “WSGA Internship” initiative that had Patrick Koenig touring Wisconsin last year, playing 76 courses in 50 days (I was able to join him for the Club at Lac La Belle, Kenosha Country Club & The Pond and North Hills Country Club). I’m really honored to be a part of this project and look forward to getting to know other talented content creators along the way. The list – if you’re on Instagram you’ll want to give them all a follow – includes:

Keith Lally (Instagram: @thesweetspotgolf)
Dylan Bloch (Instagram: @dylangolfs)
Jerry Rossi (Instagram: @putt4dough24)
Michael Lindeke: (Instagram: @beautifulgolfcourses)
Drew Westphal (Instagram: @everydaydrew)
Jason John Jahnke (Instagram: @jasonjohnjahnke)
Clark Willard (Instagram: @hickoryrevival)

I’m really excited to get back to SentryWorld, a course I’ve come to love over the years, and hope to improve on the photos and video Troy and I got last week.

Speaking of which, I have also updated the photography in my 2021 review of SentryWorld, which you can view here:

While I’m looking forward to Tuesday, SentryWorld is most excited for the end of June 2023, which will see the U.S. Senior Open played on-site. Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson (?) and others will be tested well at this RTJ II gem, and the action should be riveting to watch on TV and will I’m sure feature the Flower Hole prominently.