Same New Owner of Oceana Golf Club Buys Neighboring Course
By Fred Inglis
Oceana County native Jason Wenk always dreamed of owning a golf course, but he never imagined buying two of the best courses in west Michigan within the last seven months.
Wenk officially bought the Benona Shores Golf Course in early October. He had already purchased the Oceana Golf Course in March and now owns the two courses where he grew up playing golf and developed his love for the game.
“You know Oceana Golf Club was fate; it seemed everything developed naturally,” said the 40–year–old Wenk about the course that was home base for his former Shelby high school team. “Things aligned in a way that it was meant to be.
“Benona Shores was more serendipitous. I have no way to explain it, but I kept hearing people call it a ‘Hidden Gem’. I think that pretty much describes it. The plan is to offer a combined membership (to both courses) at one low price, likely lower than any other local course’s single course membership.”
Benona is a par 60 executive course that was developed and owned by the Hukill family since its inception in 1974. It winds throughout a former fruit tree farm. Brian Hukill operated Benona Shores for 20 years, but he died in January, 2019 after fighting a two–year battle with cancer. Brian was just 47 years old and his wife Dawn knew maintaining the business without him was going to be a big challenge.
“The stress is just overwhelming,” said Dawn. “I mean Brian did so much and nowadays golf courses aren’t making what they used to. It was just too much of everything.”
Wenk, a highly successful pioneer in the wealth management and technology industry, paid 50 percent over the appraised value of the 137 acre site. It’s an all-inclusive cash deal, and while the exact terms of the sale was not disclosed, Wenk did confirm it was the highest price paid for a golf course in the area.
“We feel very comfortable with the price,” Wenk said. “I knew Brian and we had some of the same friends. Dawn has been great to work with and I think it’s only right to honor the Hukill legacy. I want to make sure anybody that comes to Benona knows and understands the contributions of the Hukill family.
“I wanted Dawn to feel that she’s comfortable enough to move on with her life and to heal.”
Dawn Hukill said she had other buyers interested but want to take the time to find the right person.
“Jason was a local who played here and knew the course and what it meant,” she said. “I saw what he did at Oceana and he seemed a perfect fit.
“My in-laws always intended this place to be a family friendly course. That’s why we are an executive course. A place where seniors, ladies, and little ones can come play without feeling overwhelmed.”
Wenk, a 1998 Shelby High graduate played golf for the Tigers and eventually became a scratch golfer, although his handicap is far higher these days. He has a special affinity for Benona because he spent a lot of his youth staying at his grandparents’ cottage at Stony Lake. He would take his grandma’s hand-me-down clubs and ride his bicycle a mile north to the course. It’s the home of his one and only ace in his 30 years of golf.
“The par 3, 110-yard sixth hole. With a 9 iron,” recalls Wenk. “The funny part was that it was kind of a bad shot. It missed the green to the right. It bounced off the mound onto the green and rolled right in the cup. So, my only hole in one trophy ball has a Benona Shores logo on it.”
Always Improving at Oceana:
Wenk also approved changes at Oceana Golf Club to utilize the huge hill that has supported the back tees of the par 5 fifth hole since being built in the 1960s, and added a tee box for a brand new downhill par 3 ranging from 100-180 yards with a green framed behind by towering pine trees. Construction began in early September and grass seed was soon after planted. The green is sloped back to front and left to right, with a large waste bunker to grab balls that go too far right to keep them out of the trees.
Since then, construction began to combine the short par 4, Hole 7 and add it to the old par 3, 8th hole to complete a new dogleg left par four that will tempt the longest hitters to cut the 90 degree corner. Both changes should make for some nice new updates and give every golfer some fun new challenges to try in 2021.
Check out the original MGJ story about the hometown Wenk saving Oceana earlier this year at: https://michigangolfjournal.com/2020/August/10/
