Moving from Michigan, the Bosarts first day at Reynolds Lake Oconee convinced them they made the right move.
Rob Bosart has an important business meeting in 45 minutes. A client of his wealth-management company has traveled 1,200 miles for a face-to-face conversation. The planning has taken weeks. Yet here’s Rob, sitting at the back of his house with his wife, Laura, acting as if they’re on vacation. His meeting is now in 44 minutes.
“This has become our lifestyle,” says Rob.
He and his client will play … um … “discuss business” on The Oconee course today. Tomorrow they’ll presumably continue those discussions at The National. Rob’s clients, most of whom are in Michigan, would prefer to travel to him rather than vice versa. It’s no secret why. Even the Bosarts’ teenage kids understand the magnetism of Reynolds.
“It’s hard to explain what it’s like to hear your 16-year-old daughter talk about peacefulness and the beauty of a sunset,” says Laura. They didn’t hear those sentiments much until 2019, when the family moved from Clarkston, Michigan, to what has become the answer to their prayers.
[Laura] Rob fantasized about life here for years. He and I visited for the first time together back in 2004. We took a 6:30 a.m. flight out of Flint, Michigan, and were on The Oconee course by 10:30 a.m. We saw the lake, all these golf courses with their own character, and houses with space around them. On that trip we began to hope that we could get to a point in our lives where we could make the move.
[Rob] We even placed a “marker” here. We bought a lot, different from the one where we live now, just so we could own some dirt. I also made sure we had a boat in storage along the lake and that we had a unit where we could keep our golf clubs and toys. [Laura] Whenever we’d come with the kids to visit, Rob would pull to the side of the road, get out, and stare at the land. I’d tell the kids, “Just let Dad daydream for a few minutes.”
[Laura] We experienced a lot of God-winks along the way. One time Rob and I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, and on our first morning I stood at the opening tee on The Oconee course thinking, “Hmm. I think I feel … pregnant.” The feeling grew stronger every few holes. Rob didn’t know what to think so at the end of the round, I took a pregnancy test in our room. That’s the story of our youngest daughter, Georgia. [Rob] It’s also when I learned to trust the instincts of a pregnant woman.
Until you live here, you don’t understand how vast everything is — the water, the golf courses, the trees. It’s the perfect blend of our very different upbringings
[Rob] Georgia gave us another Reynolds connection. She’s become a gifted golfer, which is fitting for life here. When she was 11 years old and we still lived in Michigan, she qualified for the Drive, Chip and Putt finals at Augusta National. During that trip we met Sergio Garcia, Condoleezza Rice, and Annika Sörenstam, and we had a chance to drive down Magnolia Lane. Georgia finished third and kids were asking for her autograph. That whole experience started at Reynolds because she’d trained here for two weeks before the event. [Laura] Every time we’d visit on trips like that, it made the dream of living here seem more attainable.
[Laura] But I wasn’t so sure about moving three teenagers. It can be a tough transition at that stage. But Rob said, “We’ve already raised our kids. Now it’s time for us to fully enjoy our time with them before they go off to college. This would be a great place to do it.” So we put it out there more seriously to the kids during Spring Break in 2019. They knew we’d been praying about it for a long time. We all decided to move forward and to start packing up the house. It felt like we were getting ready to go on a forever luxury vacation.
[Laura] Our very first day convinced us we’d made the right move. We went to an open house at Lake Oconee Academy with Piper and Halsey. By the end of it, Piper had about ten new friends. Halsey came home, changed his clothes, and went out to play golf with some boys who’d reserved a tee time. I can honestly say there hasn’t been a single moment of regret. It’s an answer to our prayers.
[Rob] There are things you can’t put a price tag on. We’re on the golf courses as a family. Halsey and Georgia would like to play in college, so they train with Sean [Cain] and Blake [Adams] at The Kingdom quite a bit. [Laura] It’s more than golf, too. Sean and Blake give their time as mentors. That means a lot to us.
Working with Sean Cain at The Kingdom
[Laura] We think about our own childhoods, too. They were so different. I grew up in a log home that my dad built, surrounded by open land and woods. I spent a lot of time outside making mud pies and using wild ferns to create bouquets. [Rob] And I lived the country-club life, with golf, tennis, and swimming pools. The life we have here is a perfect mix of both. It’s nature and all the amenities of a luxury vacation.
[Rob] The weather makes a big difference. We have way more sunshine here, which makes us feel healthier and happier. We even bought a Mini Cooper convertible so we can fully enjoy the weather almost year-round. I’ll put the top down with Laura in the passenger seat, and we’ll drive through the beautiful Georgia pines, just the two of us. [Laura] He likes to talk like that. And I will say, the rides together never get old.
When friends visit, they can’t believe the size of the lake, with all the coves and variety of views. It reminds us of the best places in Michigan during summer months, except here the boating season doesn’t end.
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