THE LINKS AT BOWEN LAKE

welcome new owners

Text: R.J. Weick

The Links at Bowen Lake, a public golf course in Gowen, Michigan, will welcome its new owners this spring as the father-and-son team of Tom Combs and Tommy Combs assume leadership this season of the 18hole gol ng destination located nearly 35 miles north of Grand Rapids in Montcalm County. e Combs, who signed a purchase agreement for the sale of the golf course late December 2021 from its most recent owners, Vicki Korson and Wayne Korson, had an o cial closing date planned for March 23, 2022 with both Vicki and Wayne Korson agreeing to remain for a year to help guide throughout the transition as the Combs take the helm in April 2022.

“We really want to learn everything that we need to learn. ere is going to be a lot that we don’t know, neither of us have experience in this, so we are grateful Wayne and Vicki [Korson] have decided to stay on for a year to help us through that transition process,” Tommy Combs said. “We aspire to get to know as many of the members and property owners, regulars, by name and keep that family atmosphere and family environment going that Wayne and Vicki established.”

Designed by Bill Newcomb, e Links at Bowen Lake initially debuted in 1998 with its more than 150 forested acres of bentgrass fairways, wetlands, rolling meadows, and greens set on the shores of Bowen Lake. Since then, it has developed into an 18-hole, public gol ng course featuring ve sets of tees with a range of about 4,300 yards to 6,700 yards and when Vicki and Wayne Korson assumed ownership in the late 2010s, they invested in a new clubhouse, a full-service restaurant known as Bowen Lake Bar & Grill, cart-path work, and tree removal, among other initiatives. Vicki and Wayne Korson, who noted in a release they are now one step closer to retirement, also stated Bob Klingbeil, superin-

tendent at e Links at Bowen Lake, and his team plan to return for the 2022 season to maintain the course’s condition.

Combs noted while they anticipate one of their biggest challenges at the onset will be sta ing for the Bowen Lake Bar & Grill, one of their long-term goals is to have e Links at Bowen Lake become a multigenerational business, with the hope that one day he can pass the operation onto the next generation.

“My dad has always owned his own businesses, so I grew up in a house where I was watching him do that and learning about that. From the time I was 12 or 13, I always dreamed of owning my own business, and he and I had talked about doing things together, maybe doing things apart, but in the long run, we decided it would be better to do something together,” Combs said.

“When I graduated college, I wasn’t sure I wanted to step into his line of work, so we opened the door to look into other things and I was actually gol ng at e Links and saw the sale sign on the counter. We gave Wayne and Vicki a call and sat down and met with them. We kept meeting with them over and over again, and we decided it was something we really wanted to pursue, and Wayne and Vicki were generous enough to give us the opportunity to step into this role,” Combs added. e Combs’ passion for golf is a multigenerational a air, where father-and-son played with Tom Combs’ own father throughout the years, and even led to a green installation known as “Tom Combs Memorial Green” complete with a ag honoring his WWII service at their home. Tommy Combs noted for him, golf is about the social aspect, and he is most excited to spend a little extra quality time with his own father.

“We’ve always been very close and dreamed of doing something like this and to see that dream come true, it’s exciting. My dad and his dad actually golfed until my grandpa was 85, I believe, and I witnessed that. I decided I wanted to pick up a club and take up the sport so I could do it with him as well. It’s something my dad and I can do together that allows me to get to know other people who have similar passions. I enjoy talking to people and getting to know people,” Tommy Combs said.

“It doesn’t matter who I am with, what the weather is like, what the course conditions are: I get to go out and spend three-to-four hours with individuals, get to know them, share laughs, and maybe have a serious conversation. It’s the best way for me to spend time with people,” Combs added.