WYOMING, Mich. — On Monday, a big step was made toward a housing development in west Michigan.
Wyoming City Council approved rezoning plans for The Pines Golf Course and paved the way for more than 600 housing units to be built.
FOX17 takes a look back at co-owner Michael Boogaard's life at Wyoming golf course, dating back decades.
"I remember making a putt on the last hole here when I was about 14 years old. And I remember coming off that green and hurtling over that triple trunk spruce there. Now it's 50 feet tall," said Boogaard.
Boogaard has spent 52 years there, and he's done about every job possible.
"I started here at age 11. And basically, wash carts, pick the range, clean bathrooms, everything. And then I moved up into the pro shop for a couple of years. And then I moved out to the outside. So I learned all the maintenance parts of it. And then I became the golf pro here," said Boogaard.
He's created a lot of memories at the golf course, but some of the most special ones are the moments he shared with his family.
"I raised my family out here, three daughters that love to come to work with dad. It brought them into success in the sport through high school and through college," he told FOX17.
It's their success he's proud to share.
"My youngest daughter had a hole in one year. So, it is one of my memories that I had with my children. Watching my youngest have a hole-in-one on this hole," he said.
Because of moments like that, he said, he's spent a considerable amount of time to make sure things were done right at this property off Byron Center Avenue.
Boogaard turned down a dozen proposals before this one.
https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/wyoming-golf-course-is-on-the-back-nine
"I didn't want to walk away, leaving the neighborhood and community with something I wouldn't want if it was in my backyard. So there was a lot of thought put into it on behalf of the owners," he added.
The 18-hole golf course still has one more season left.
"I just want to thank them for all the years that they gave us. It's been a blessing to serve them, and I won't forget them," Boogaard said. "It's the right decision. It just doesn't always feel like it."
Boogaard is retiring from owning a golf course, but not from the game. He says he still plans on teaching people how to golf.
"I do. I just don't know where," he said. "I got a little bit of fuel in the tank yet."
