With construction underway since June, Bluejack National is now accepting membership registration for its 18-hole golf course set to open for play in October 2015. Bluejack National officials have begun irrigating the golf course, and grass sodding began in November.
"We think that Bluejack is really meant to be a full-service lifestyle community," Bluejack National President Casey Paulson said. "We're looking to have a lot of services people wouldn't normally see at a country club. We're trying to be an extension into people's entire lives, not just a golf course."
Professional golfer Tiger Woods has signed on to design the new golf course at the site of the former Blaketree National Golf Club at 4430 S. FM 1486 in Montgomery—located 9 miles north of downtown Magnolia. Beacon Land Development is managing and developing Bluejack National under the direction of Paulson, who also serves as vice president, and President Michael Abbott.
Up to 550 memberships will be available for the golf course, and guests are able to become members without purchasing real estate, Paulson said. The Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved the official land plat for the course Oct. 20.
"When I say [Tiger Woods is] working with us, I mean he is drawing, he is on top of carts, on top of ladders, making the decisions on green slopes and [deciding] bunker placement," Abbott said. "He is involved with every decision as it related to the golf course."
Residences and amenities
Bluejack National will serve as a luxury private club and gated community with several amenities beyond the golf course, including 24-hour security, biking trails, access to more than 35 acres of lakes and fishing docks, Paulson said.
In addition, other amenities will be available. The Porch will offer guests a place to relax and drink cocktails while The Fort will feature a bowling alley, movie theater, game room, hamburger shack and zip lines for children. The children's play areas could open as early as May 2015, he said.
The 755-acre development will include 386 private residences with a variety of size options, including 234 estate homes, 96 cottages, 28 member suites, 23 Sunday homes and five homestead lots, said Gary Short, director of sales for Bluejack National. The residences will range from 800 square feet for the member suites to an estimated 4 acres for the homestead lots, he said.
"The lifestyle component of what we'll be offering for folks in a residential setting up here will just be something that is a concept entirely different than most places you'll find in the area," Short said. "I think that we're all well-aware here [that] we are in the crosshairs of a tremendous amount of growth and development up this way."
The golf facilities will be designed with Southern plantation-style architecture and feature a Bluejack National coffee shop open to the public at the front gate, Paulson said.
Upon expected completion in October 2015, Bluejack National will be the first Tiger Woods-designed golf course to open in the United States.
Nearby future development
With the construction of the new golf course, some realtors and builders have begun to display interest in nearby land parcels for future development.
Since late September, real estate company Halberdier Holdings has secured seven acres of land for a new possible retail center 2 miles south of Bluejack National, company founder Trey Halberdier said.
Halberdier said the company is analyzing the utilities at the site and working to secure a developer to potentially begin construction within the next year.
"We are getting calls [for developers] on the seven acres—there's already a sign out there," Halberdier said. "We're still evaluating what we want to do. What I always say is we let the market be the expert. [The land tract] probably suggests a retail-type product. If we need to assemble more land or go with a larger junior box [store], we would consider it."
Economic effect
Barbara Gardner, realtor for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties, said Bluejack National will have a positive effect on property values in the area and is already attracting new developers.
"It's definitely going to be a good alternative for people looking for the golf course-type lots," Gardner said. "We really don't have anything like that other than High Meadow [Golf Club]."
Magnolia Economic Development Coordinator Tana Ross said the city's proximity to the golf course will bring new visitors to the area and benefit the local economy. Ross said she imagines the future of the FM 1486 corridor as an established area with residential and estate communities as well as consumer services to cater to a village lifestyle.
"With an influx of new people coming to the area, they will become familiar with Magnolia, and they will buy fuel and goods here," Ross said. "It is my understanding that supplies will be bought locally for Bluejack National and its residents when it opens. Bluejack National is certainly raising the bar for other planned communities to capitalize on the beauty of Magnolia."
