NHL star Joe Pavelski excited to see major championship golf at SentryWorld in his hometown
STEVENS POINT – Tree Acres Golf Course in Plover is long gone, but its impact on Joe Pavelski remains.
Tree Acres is where the Wisconsin hockey legend got his start swinging another kind of stick — a golf club — and it’s a passion he still carries with him today.
Pavelski, who recently completed his 17th NHL season and fourth with the Dallas Stars, is a championship ambassador for the U.S. Senior Open this week at SentryWorld, and he couldn’t be more excited to have a major championship in his hometown.
“I was really excited when I kind of got the call and the invite to be a part of this,” he said. “Right in the backyard, it’s pretty special. I think the community will definitely have an understanding of how big of an event this is and what it means to golf. To have it here at SentryWorld, of course, got to play growing up a little bit and see the remodel and how it’s evolved over the last handful of years. Just really excited to see these great golfers, how they’re going to attack it and play it, and it should be a great weekend.”
Pavelski, a Stevens Point Area Senior High graduate and Wisconsin Badgers standout, fell in love with golf when his dad came home one day and asked if anyone wanted to take lessons at Tree Acres, even though his dad wasn’t a golfer.
“There were a lot of days we spent walking 36 holes and getting out there, trying to be the first tee time so you can buzz through 18 holes,” he said. “Then that second 18 being nice and slow. Those slow rounds, I remember walking through the woods, finding golf balls, all this type of stuff that kids do. Spent a lot of time out at Tree Acres for sure.”
Stevens Point Country Club later became his home course and he likes to get back there as often as he can, along with playing SentryWorld.
For Pavelski, seeing the local courses join the likes of Whistling Straits and Erin Hills and others as major golf hot spots in Wisconsin brings to a smile to his face.
“To see Sand Valley be around, Erin Hills, Whistling Straits, some of the big events they’ve hosted, and Sentry really throwing their name in the mix as one of the top courses in the state now, is pretty cool to see,” he said. “Golf in this area is strong. People are spoiled, I think, with the quality of courses that are here. I spend the summer in Madison now and have been there for a while, so there’s some great courses there. But it’s not too far of a drive to come up and play these nice tracks.”
Pavelski said his current handicap is 0. He tied for second in last year’s American Century Championship celebrity event in Lake Tahoe and will play that again next month.
As an elite athlete, he knows how talented the players are on the Champions Tour and admits to occasional thoughts about joining them when he’s old enough.
“I would love to see myself playing in here, but I’m fairly realistic as well,” he said. “These guys are really good. I know what goes into getting ready for a hockey season, getting here. They put a big-time effort and they’re pretty good. We’ll see how much time we get to play, how much time we dedicate to it and go from there. Yeah, it would be awesome to play in something like this one day.”
That day will have to wait for a while, as Pavelski remains an integral part of the Stars roster. He scored 28 goals and had 49 assists last season, his second in a row without missing a regular-season contest. He added nine goals and five assists in 14 playoff games.
Pavelski scored his 1,000th career point April 10 against the Detroit Red Wings and is the record-holder for the most NHL playoff goals (73) by an American.
In other words, it’s not time for him to put down his hockey stick quite yet.
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“You’re just enjoying being around the kids and playing and having fun with the guys in the locker room and having success and expect that,” he said. “You get to a certain level, you want to try your best and your expectations are to keep your game at the highest level possible for the longest you can. It’s been fun to see it kind of stay there.”
Pavelski will turn 39 on July 11 and signed a one-year contract extension in January that will take him through the upcoming season. That’s all he’s thinking about right now.
“We’ll just take it like that,” he said. “Going into next year, I don’t expect to sign anything during the year. I’m sure questions will be there, which is fine. It’s all part of the gig. We’ll just evaluate at the end of the season how everything is going.”
Until then, Pavelski is enjoying his time in central Wisconsin and looking forward to what should be an exciting major championship at SentryWorld.
“It’s going to be great,” he said. “I know Sentry’s been taking care of this place and it’s going to be a great event and a tough challenge for these guys. Just excited to see some of the (Steve) Strickers and (Jerry) Kellys and these guys and the different players I watched growing up. And to be here and be a part of it, it’s pretty fun.”
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: U.S. Senior Open brings Joe Pavelski home as championship ambassador
