1 of 10
KATIE PARK
There was a little horsing around on Monday. From the intrigued horse — who other than Jay Meadows has no idea who's talking to him — clockwise, are J.J. Henry, with his back to us, Andy Mitchell, and Tiger Woods.
2 of 10
KATIE PARK
Jay Meadows, right, came bearing gifts: cowboy hats. Tiger, Andy Mitchell, Kristin Mitchell, and J.J. Henry. Tiger put it on.
3 of 10
KATIE PARK
Tiger obviously got a kick out of a conversation with Jay Meadows.
4 of 10
KATIE PARK
This ain't golf.
5 of 10
KATIE PARK
From left, J.J. Henry, Andy Mitchell, Tiger Woods, Kristin Mitchell, and Jay Meadows.
6 of 10
KATIE PARK
Tiger was thoroughly engaged, says J.J. Henry.
7 of 10
KATIE PARK
Andy Mitchell, Tiger, and Beau Welling, a senior design consultant. Tiger was "blown away" by the elevation changes.
8 of 10
KATIE PARK
Tiger on a tour: With Beau Welling.
9 of 10
KATIE PARK
A cleaner, Augusta-like feel or a more natural, native-style course? 'He said,' J.J. Henry reports, '"I don't know. Let me see what the property holds." And literally, by about the fourth hole, he said, "Man, this has got native, natural, really cool, badass bunkering with taller buffalo grass and native grass." He believes this is going to be a magnificent course with more of a natural, native feel.
10 of 10
KATIE PARK
Bluejack partners Andy Mitchell and Tiger Woods quickly became friends when they met about 10 years ago.
One of the world’s most recognizable faces dropped into Fort Worth on Monday.
Tiger Woods, the 15-time major winner, was in town to take his first look at the evolving Bluejack Ranch golf course in west Fort Worth.
“He was blown away,” said J.J. Henry, who along with Tiger, is a partner with Andy and Kristin Mitchell in Bluejack Ranch. “He was blown away by the elevation, by the [topographical] change. He was very engaged. We spent hours out there on the golf course going through every hole. As we kept going, he was like, ‘I had no idea.’
“It was really cool to see how excited he was to be out there.”
Bluejack Ranch, which sits off U.S. 377 and Kelly Road, is the manifestation of the on-again, off-again plans for a championship golf course in Parker County begun in earnest two years ago by Henry.
Henry, the former TCU and PGA Tour player who played on a Ryder Cup team with Tiger, said when the Mitchell-and-Tiger team came together on this project, “I literally shed a tear.”
It’s back on, and on firm footing with the Mitchells and Tiger leading the charge. Mitchell and Tiger joined forces to build Bluejack National in Montgomery, north of Houston, 10 years ago. Mitchell is a Fort Worth native who went to Western Hills High School.
The more than 900-acre Bluejack Ranch development will encompass more than 600 home lots and a club built around a Tiger-designed golf course, stretching across somewhere in the neighborhood of 7,700 yards
Mitchell is the founding CEO of Lantern Capital Partners, with more than 25 years in investment management, financial advisory, capital markets, and restructuring. As a financier, he has guided numerous major and mid-market transactions across diverse industries, including complex restructurings, recapitalizations, private placements, distressed mergers and acquisitions, and valuations of both distressed and stable companies.
His most notable acquisition involved Harvey Weinstein’s film company and its 277 feature films, acquired out of bankruptcy in 2018 for more than $400 million after Weinstein’s well-publicized downfall.
Bluejack National has been rated the No. 1 residential golf course in Texas by Golfweek for several years. Moreover, it has been recognized as one of the best in the nation.
On Monday, Tiger was met at the site by the Mitchells, both TCU graduates, Henry, and Beau Welling, a senior design consultant for Tiger’s design company, TGR Design.
They were also met out there by Jay Meadows, a rancher, who did the honors of presenting Tiger a JW Brooks custom cowboy hat. The group also watched a group of ropers do their thing with their expertly braided ropes.
Then they got to work.
“Our goal is to make the best golf course you could possibly make on that piece of property,” said Henry, who, by the way, will make some starts on Senior PGA Tour in 2025 after turning 50 in April. He'll be outfitted in the Bluejack brand.
“Bluejack has been part of [Tiger’s] brand for 10-plus years, so, he knows what he's getting into as far as the Bluejack team getting it done the right way. And he's got guys like me he can trust who are on the ground. When he's not around, I'm out there every day making sure things are done the right way. It was a really good, positive day on Monday.”
The golf course is expected to be ready earlier rather than later in 2026.
