b'December 11, 1986 (at the Blaketree clubhouse): Thomas Blake Sr., with Ben Crenshaw to his right and Bill Coore to his left.S ome might think that the story of Bluejack National is simple:Tiger Woods arrived, waved his design wand and prestoBest New Golf Course of the Year. To be sure, Bluejack did snag that honor in 2016 from Golf Digest, GOLF magazine, and Golfweek. However, the Bluejack backstory is far more complex and much more entertaining.Long before there was a Fort, a Sanctuary and the Ace Heard Round the World, there was timber, a football star, his extraordinary son and an entirely different golf course. Each serves as a colorful thread in the tapestry that is Bluejack National.EARLY DAYSTexas A&M and the University of Texas claim one of the most storied rivalries in college football, dating back to 1894. It wasnt always that way, however. In the first eight meetings between the two schools, the Longhorns not only hadnt dropped a game, they hadnt surrendered a single pointeight straight shutouts. That all changed in November 1902. In that game, Aggie captain and quarterback Thomas W. Tom Blake scored a touchdown on a sneak, and led his Texas A&M team to an 11-0 victory.Hailed as a hero, Blake became a lumberman, which is how he came to acquire the property where Bluejack National sits today. He bought up land that had big, big pine trees on it, said his grandson, Thomas B. Blake. He bought that property for the timber, but also for the beauty.bluejacknational.com 11'