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Bear Creek runs through the rolling topography of Bluejack Ranch. The design goal for the golf course was to leave the natural beauty of the area mostly undisturbed. (Courtesy | Bluejack Ranch)<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t say Tiger Woods has never taken in the scenery when he\u2019s been in town.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew there were rolling hills here in Fort Worth,\u201d the legendary golfer says in a promotional video for Bluejack Ranch, the $2.5 billion luxury residential development and working ranch just outside the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Woods, who swung through Fort Worth often early in his career when Nike had its performance center here, is now as familiar with Cowtown\u2019s rolling hills as he is with the Amen Corner at the Augusta National Golf Club.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He is one of the developers of the 914-acre project located off State Highway 377 in Aledo, just a long putt outside the Fort Worth city limits and about a Woods-sized 3-wood from Benbrook Lake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Woods\u2019 firm, TGR Design, laid out the 18-hole course. No surprise then, that some tee boxes are set aside for golfers who want to test their abilities against a famed power hitter like Woods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTiger tees off up here,\u201d said Andy Mitchell, managing partner at Lantern Capital Management, developer of Bluejack Ranch, pointing to a spot many daunting yards away as he stands on a tee box for one of Bluejack\u2019s holes. \u201cUs mortals play from here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mitchell, born and raised in Fort Worth, is Woods’ partner on the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For many of the holes, Mitchell says the natural beauty of the area was undisturbed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a lot of natural holes here, it was kind of amazing,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Woods has his tee boxes, the 7,700-yard course is designed to be playable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTiger wants it to be a fun experience,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cSearching for your ball in the rough is not fun.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the first rodeo \u2013 or round of golf \u2013 for the pairing. Woods and Mitchell were behind Bluejack National, a 787-acre private golf community in similarly rolling, wooded terrain in Montgomery, Texas, about 50 miles north of Houston. That project opened in 2014 and has since been rated the top residential course in Texas by Golfweek Magazine, which also ranks it the eighth best in the nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bear Creek runs through the rolling topography of Bluejack Ranch. The design goal for the golf course was to leave the natural beauty of the area mostly undisturbed.
(Courtesy | Bluejack Ranch)<\/p>\n
These types of luxury golf-focused real estate developments have been on the upswing in the past few years, according to the National Golf Foundation. After a slowdown following the Great Recession, projects like this have started to take off again, particularly in high-growth areas in the Sun Belt region, according to a study by the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Developments like this are not surprising to Carlos Munguia, president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth area for Amegy Bank. He sees the region as having a long runway for continued economic strength, citing the area\u2019s growth as a financial hub, epitomized by the Texas Stock Exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re definitely in the epicenter \u2014 and the future \u2014 of the economy overall,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Woods\u2019 fellow PGA Tour pro J.J. Henry is a partner on Bluejack Ranch.<\/p>\n
Henry and Mitchell share a connection as well. Both went to Texas Christian University at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adding more purple to the proceedings, Mitchell\u2019s wife, Kristen Mitchell, is a consultant on the project and a graduate from the home of the frog.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first phase of development for Bluejack Ranch will see about 125 luxury homes along with what are called golf cottages, available for weekend retreats. The average home price is more than $3 million.<\/p>\n
Mitchell said sales momentum is stronger than it was when he was developing Bluejack National.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody wants to be in Fort Worth now,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard from people all over the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new course and others like it are a tap into Fort Worth\u2019s long connection with golf, said Lance Barrow of CBS Sports, who produced the network\u2019s golf coverage for years and grew up in Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you think about Fort Worth and the impact Marvin Leonard had when he decided to build Colonial Country Club and brought a then-record $10,000 purse event, and Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, it’s just part of Fort Worth history,\u201d he said. \u201cThese new courses just continue that tradition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The initial home development at Bluejack Ranch will be from Mitchell\u2019s company with Horseshoe Homes, which are about 4,000 square feet with five bedrooms\/five baths. Other home-building companies will also set up shop at Bluejack, said Mitchell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The layout of Bluejack Ranch’s Tiger Woods’ designed golf course. (Courtesy | Bluejack Ranch)<\/p>\n
The gated, membership-based community is more than just a place to live and golf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along with being a working ranch, the project features an array of other amenities. Those include horse stables and an equestrian arena, a 20-acre dude ranch, a spa and wellness area, a family entertainment hub and a golf performance center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mitchell emphasized the area is more of a lifestyle than a country club experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to encourage residents to be part of a community,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tapping into Fort Worth\u2019s recent growth as a filmmaking hub, Bluejack Ranch has set up Lantern Entertainment Studio, equipped for film, television and podcast production.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an area Mitchell knows something about. His Lantern Capital Partners is a Dallas-based private equity firm that specializes in buying distressed assets and turning them into profitable ventures, including deals with companies in the manufacturing, technology, energy or automotive space that are needing capital investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in 2018, the distressed asset that came into Lantern\u2019s possession was none other than the film library amassed by disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein. Mitchell and his partners purchased the 277-film library out of bankruptcy for $289 million and later added studios in Paris<\/a> that have produced popular series such as \u201cEmily in Paris.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n On the edge of the development facing Highway 377 will be a 100-acre commercial and retail district area with a variety of service-oriented businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s group was not the first to see potential in the rolling hills of the ranchland just southwest of Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n The idea for the current development was first planted in 2018 at the Bluejack in Montgomery. Mitchell recalls the date well because the site was holding a charity event for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Henry was among the players participating.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe said he had this idea for a golf club for TCU and Fort Worth,\u201d Mitchell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mitchell, who played football at Western Hills High School, wasn\u2019t sure it would work. He hadn\u2019t seen the land and, as steeped in Fort Worth as he was, he couldn\u2019t imagine topography like that available so close to the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Henry, as consistent to the idea as he has been in his golf game, persisted in pursuing his vision. He began with one partner in 2022, then in 2023 with Escalante Golf<\/a> , a Fort Worth-based golf club operator that owns 22 golf clubs around the country. The deal went so far that plans were announced that called for a $100 million Kelly Ranch Golf Club<\/a> with more than 1,000 homes. But Escalante didn\u2019t finalize an agreement for the property and the project was back in the rough.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was a trip to the area that sold Mitchell. The terrain was more Hill Country than high plains.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I knew Fort Worth, but I didn\u2019t know this,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Perhaps more important was his wife\u2019s reaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe said, \u2018I could live here,\u2019 and really that was all it took,\u201d he said. \u201cFinally, I had my ticket out of Dallas.\u201d<\/p>\n The group purchased the land from developer Ryan Voorhees and the project began.\u00a0<\/p>\n As of early August, the golf course was set, ready to be watered in. Only, of course, there has been little \u2014 if any \u2014 rain to speak of in North Texas until recently. The golf course opening may be delayed a bit, officials said. Ranch amenities are coming online, though.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, some of the structures have gone vertical and are nearing completion. Mitchell is more than ready to get started.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe got all the infrastructure in, so now it’s all development,\u201d he said. \u201cThat’s what took the longest, getting all the utilities in \u2014 the sewer, the water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n For the all-important water, Bluejack Ranch is served by a municipal utility district and a commercial well, Mitchell said\u00a0<\/p>\n And Mitchell is taking care to give the area the look and feel of a neighborhood. The roads will be blacktop as opposed to concrete, for instance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNothing against concrete, but the blacktop gives it a softer look and it\u2019s not as tough on cars,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Care, too, is being taken to preserve the area\u2019s topography, trees and grasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had TCU\u2019s Ranch Management people out there to help us,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to work with us on this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The club has not announced member or initiation fees for Bluejack Ranch, but they are estimated to land between $150,000 and $250,000, with annual dues, similar to the club\u2019s Houston-area counterpoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bluejack Ranch is not the only luxury residential golf development in the area. Also in the southwest corner of Fort Worth is the 1,100-acre Maverick Golf & Ranch Club, under development from Discovery Land Company and Dallas-based PMB Capital Investments. There, a nine-hole, par-3 course is already open. The centerpiece of the development will be an 18-hole course designed by Tom Fazio, which is slated to open for members in early November. That development is also planning about 500 homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n