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Hosting the Texas Amateur

Blake Howe on May 29, 2020

Boot Ranch is this year’s venue for the state’s oldest and most prestigious amateur championship from August 6th through 9th. The field will include 132 players who will earn entry through an exemption category or 18-hole sectional qualifying at one of 12 sites across Texas in the weeks leading up to the championship. The format is 72 holes of individual stroke play. All contestants will play 18 holes on August 6-7. Then the field will be cut to the low 54 players and ties heading into the final rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

Boot Ranch course designer Hal Sutton narrates the PROMOTIONAL VIDEO for the tournament.

 

Natural Beauty for the Ages

Blake Howe on April 1, 2020

Texans enjoy many blessings from the state’s abundant natural resources. While oil and gas have created great wealth, it’s native stone that provides the riches for an incredibly distinctive and resilient built environment.

The early German settlers in Fredericksburg took full advantage of the ubiquitous white limestone beneath their feet, leaving a legacy of homes and commercial buildings prized by current residents and tourists alike. Today, quarries blanket the Hill Country and West Texas, producing a diverse palette of limestone, sandstone and granite prized by architects and designers.

At Boot Ranch, you’ll see the full gamut of stone colors and patterns used in home building, creating a harmonious collection of one-of-a-kind residences that complement the rugged beauty of the land. Our Sunday Houses alone catalogue the wide range of stone choices available.

The three newest Sunday Houses (8, 9 and 10), are being built with Lueders caramel limestone—a warm brown mix that complements the nearby Ranch Club. This dense stone is quarried in the Lueders Basin of West Texas near Abilene, where it is layered by mother nature in ledges of varying colors.

Sunday Houses 4 through 7 are built with Jerrell White limestone from Williamson County north of Austin. The original Sunday Houses (1, 2 & 3) are dark San Saba sandstone laid in a random flagstone pattern. Together they’re a great portfolio of historically inspired Hill Country architecture.

Small Towns, Big Money

Blake Howe on February 1, 2020

In its February 2020 issue, Texas Monthly calls Fredericksburg the New Aspen. Read the whole story here:

Home Earns Five Design Awards

Blake Howe on October 9, 2019

Yesterday, judges for the 2019 Hill Country Parade of Homes bestowed five awards to Big Sky Builders for the home they built to showcase their Summer Homes collection designed for the Metzger Park neighborhood in Boot Ranch. The five-bedroom home was designed by architect Don B. McDonald, with interiors and furnishings by Donna Figg, the award-winning duo responsible for Sunday Houses 4 through 9 at Boot Ranch. 

 

(left to right): Interior designer Donna Figg, Sina and Ron Burns of Big Sky Builders and their partners Sandra and Bill Gilliland

For two weekends – October 11-13 and 18-20, Boot Ranch will welcome hundreds of Parade of Homes ticket holders who are touring the 14 homes on Parade. Tickets are available at Boot Ranch Realty. 

The awards won represent five of the seven given in the “Homes Over $1.5 Million” category. They include:

  • Best Master and Bath Suite
  • Best Interior Design & Decor
  • Best Architectural Feature
  • Best Craftsmanship
  • Best Unique Feature – Great Room Trusses

The home is offered for sale for $2,045,000.

Metzger Market Now Open

Blake Howe on September 20, 2019

The long-abandoned Metzger family homestead at Boot Ranch has been meticulously restored and transformed into Metzger Market, an artisan general store for Boot Ranch members and guests. The Market includes a coffee bar, hand-dipped ice cream, wine, beer, gifts and food products.

Architect Don B. McDonald took a light touch on changes to the structure—striving to retain its character and authenticity while renewing its structural integrity and introducing modern mechanical systems. Designer Donna Figg’s interior concept is of a modern bistro with a mix of reclaimed grey wood for nostalgia juxtaposed with clean black and white finishes. Centurion Custom Homes handled restoration and construction.

The adjacent stone outbuilding has been refitted with mailboxes to serve the whole community. Outdoor seating, a kid’s play area, restrooms and ample parking for golf carts and cars make this a lively stopping off point. 

Nestled between the golf practice park and Hole #9, the Metzger homestead dates from the mid 19th century. It was home to German settler Peter Metzger, his wife Anna and nine children on a 160-acre tract Metzger purchased from the State of Texas in what was then known as the Palo Alto community, 4.5 miles north of Fredericksburg.

In February 1865 two of the Metzger daughters, ages 18 and 13, were walking home from town after dark and encountered a small band of Kiowa Indians. The elder girl, Anna Marie called “Emma” by the family, resisted capture and was killed. The younger girl, Anna, was enslaved by the Indians and eventually reunited with her family in November of 1865, escorted home by her brother Joe and three friends. She married Fredericksburg resident Charles Wartenbach in 1870 and lived in Mason County until her death in 1917.

The Texas Historical Commission has approved an official Texas Historical Marker for the Metzger House site, thanks to the efforts of Boot Ranch team member Lynn Sample who is an active volunteer with the Gillespie County Historical Society.

Hal Sutton Goes Back on Tour

Blake Howe on February 8, 2019

Hal Sutton is more than just the golf course architect for Boot Ranch, the exclusive private club community in the Texas Hill Country. The 14-time PGA TOUR winner is now the club’s brand ambassador on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit.

Sutton, 60, whose original design at Boot Ranch debuted in 2006, will wear the Boot Ranch logo and has filmed a commercial to be shown this spring during select PGA TOUR and PGA Champions television broadcasts.

Sutton is scheduled to make his return to competition this weekend at the Oasis Championship in Boca Raton, Fla., his first tour start since May 2017. Sutton has played only six tour events in the past three years while focusing on course design projects and teaching academy.

Follow Sutton on the PGA TOUR Champions as he plans to play in every tournament he can through early September. The tour dates are:

FEB 8 – 10: Oasis Championship (The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, FL)
FEB 15 – 17: Chubb Classic (The Classics at Lely Resort, Naples, FL)
MAR 1 – 3: Cologuard Classic (Omni Tucson National, Tucson, AZ)
MAR 8 – 10: Hoag Classic (Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, CA)
MAR 29 – 31: Rapiscan Systems Classic (Fallen Oak, Biloxi, MS)
APR 19 – 21: Mitsubishi Electric Classic TPC (Sugarloaf, Duluth, GA)
APR 26 – 28: Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge (Top of the Rock, Ridgedale, MO)
MAY 3 – 5: Insperity Invitational (The Woodlands CC, The Woodlands, TX)
MAY 9 – 12: Regions Tradition (Greystone G&CC, Birmingham, AL)
MAY 23 – 26: KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (Oak Hill CC, Rochester, NY)
MAY 31 – JUN 2: Principal Charity Classic (Wakonda Club, Des Moines, IA)
JUN 7 – 9: Mastercard Japan Championship Narita Golf (Club-Accordia Golf, Narita-shi, Chiba, JPN)
JUN 21 – 23: American Family Insurance Championship (University Ridge GC, Madison, WI)
JUN 27 – 30: U.S. Senior Open Championship Warren Golf Course (Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN)
JUL 11 – 14: Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship (Firestone CC, Akron, OH)
JUL 25 – 28: The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex (Royal Lytham and St. Annes, Lancashire, ENG)
AUG 16 – 18: DICK’S Sporting Goods Open (En-Joie GC, Endicott, NY)
AUG 23 – 25: Boeing Classic (The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, WA)
AUG 30 – SEP 1: Shaw Charity Classic (Canyon Meadows G&CC, Calgary, AB, CAN)
SEP 13 – 15: The Ally Challenge (Warwick Hills G&CC, Grand Blanc, MI)
SEP 20 – 22: Sanford International (Minnehaha Country Club, Sioux Falls, SD)
SEP 27 – 29: PURE Insurance Championship (Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, CA)

“We cannot think of a better person than Hal Sutton to represent Boot Ranch on the professional golf tour,” said Emil Hale, general manager of the club. “Hal shares the same vision as our membership, that passion for the game of golf and culture of friendship that results in experiences to be remembered forever.”

In 2017, Sutton oversaw a $2 million renovation of the bunkers and greens on the Boot Ranch golf course and 34-acre practice park, which incorporates natural Texas Hill Country elevation changes, slopes and valleys, and indigenous vegetation. Sutton’s focus in this project was to enhance the playability without altering the experience. “My key was to figure out a way to challenge the best players while offering higher-handicap golfers the chance to play golf and have more fun,” explained Sutton.

Sutton also was instrumental in helping Boot Ranch members revive the nearby Fredericksburg community’s junior golf and high school golf programs. His expanded new role continues that support through the return of the “Birdies for Billies” program that benefits the Junior Golf Foundation of Fredericksburg. Funds are raised through Boot Ranch pledges for each birdie and eagle Sutton makes on tour this year. (“Battlin’ Billies” is the nickname for Fredericksburg high school’s athletic teams.)

“Connecting to the community, embracing the people, and giving back is important,” Sutton said. “I want kids to understand the game I love so much. Learning the golf swing helps, but getting kids outdoors and onto the golf course is the greatest teacher of all.”

Nominated last year for the World Golf Hall of Fame, Sutton was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for more than 100 weeks during his PGA TOUR career.

Boot Ranch: Four Good Reasons

Blake Howe on September 24, 2018

Golfweek writer John Turner is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, but his first job was in Kerrville, Texas. He returned to Texas for a few days at Boot Ranch and had this to say about the experience:

Hosting the Nimitz Golf Classic

Blake Howe on June 25, 2018

Boot Ranch hosted 154 players, including 10 warriors, for the 9th Annual Nimitz Golf Classic on June 8th to benefit the Admiral Nimitz Foundation and Combat Marine Outdoors. The two-day event raised more than $300,000, according to Gen. Michael Hagee, USMC (Retired), President and CEO of the Nimitz Foundation which operates the Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg.

This is a golf experience you won’t see anywhere else—complete with vintage aircraft flyovers, tanks, jeeps, and reenactors dressed in WWII uniforms protecting the fairways. In addition to donating the course for the event, Boot Ranch also contributed a live auction prize at the previous night’s dinner gala. Thirty-two Boot Ranch members played in the tournament, and several also anted up for the chance to be passengers during the flyover.

The golf highlight of this year’s tournament came on Hole 10 when baseball legend Nolan Ryan’s tee shot landed on the green and rolled to a stop, four feet from the cup. Nolan sank the putt for an Eagle on the Par 4 hole.

To learn more about the foundation and the museum, visit www.pacificwarmuseum.org.

Boot Ranch Grows Into New Phase

Blake Howe on February 15, 2018

After two years under new ownership, Fredericksburg’s private club community is expanding development into the second half of the 2,000-acre Boot Ranch property.

A partnership between Terra Verde Group and Wheelock Street Capital purchased Boot Ranch in 2015 from Lehman Brothers Holdings, acquiring the existing 55,000-square-foot clubhouse, the 18-hole golf course, a 34-acre golf practice park, the Ranch Club pool complex and land meant to hold about 350 future residences.

“It was a wonderful thing that was here, it was done really well, and was in what I think is a great location,” said Terra Verde principal Craig Martin.

Phase one under the new ownership saw investment of $6 million in enhancements, including new course greens and bunkers, the largest putting park in Texas, a 1.7-mile hike-and-bike trail, and recreational facilities at Longhorn Lake.

For phase two, roads are now being constructed into the northern half of Boot Ranch, dubbed “Nordenhill,” and the first 39 home sites are being offered for sale.

Members

At the time of the ownership change, the club had about 165 members. Today, that has increased to 225. Officials say about 30 percent are “non-resident” members, meaning their membership is not attached to property ownership at Boot Ranch. They typically live in or near Fredericksburg and use Boot Ranch for golf or social purposes.

Marketing Director Barbara Koenig said non-resident memberships are “sold out” and the only way to currently obtain a Boot Ranch membership is through a real estate purchase. Sixty developer properties have sold and closed in the past two years and 27 additional properties are under reservation or contract.

“Members were responsible for nearly half of the number of referrals we had for future residents,” Koenig said.

One size does not fit all

An element that has drawn buyers to Boot Ranch is the variety of residential options, Koenig said.

“We wanted to expand our product to offer something for everyone, so when a buyer walks in, they have options,” Martin said. The Boot Ranch Realty Team helps potential buyers to narrow down the option that is best for them and their lifestyle.”

The community features home sites from one-half to 18 acres, condominium residences from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, shared-ownership Sunday Houses, and house-lot packages with pre-approved home plans that allow for buyer customization. Home sites range from $250,000 to more than $2 million. House-lot packages start around $1.3 million. Club membership is included in the purchase price.

Sunday Houses are one of the most popular options, Koenig said. Eight families share ownership, use and expenses and each family averages about 40 nights of use each year. Seven Sunday Houses are sold out and shares are being sold in two additional ones. Shares start at $325,000 for a five-bedroom, fully furnished Sunday House with about 4,500 square feet. A six-bedroom Sunday House with private pool, located in the Clubhouse Village area, is selling for $500,000 per share.

Martin said the house-lot packages fill a demand from buyers who don’t want to spend years designing and building a custom home from scratch.

“Our buyers are eager to start enjoying Boot Ranch, and many know already how time-consuming a custom home project is,” Martin said. “They told us they wanted a lot of options, a sense early on of cost, and the ability to be done in about a year. And that’s what we provided.”

The idea was launched last May with the opening of the 2017 Texas Monthly Hill Country Show Home, a 3,500-square-foot model that combines historically inspired architecture with a modern, open floor plan.

Plans from three architectural firms were commissioned: Don B. McDonald of San Antonio, Chas Architects of Austin, and Design Visions of Fredericksburg. Interior designers working on the projects are Amy Slaughter of Fredericksburg and Donna Figg of Austin.

A place to gather

Koenig said about 40 percent of property buyers plan to live at Boot Ranch full time and the rest use it as a second home. The majority of buyers are from the Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth areas. Some younger families are relocating because they want to raise kids in Fredericksburg rather than in big cities.

“For empty nesters, we see this as a place to gather with family, and we hear all the time that families are scattered across Texas, but this is where they come to be together,” she said.

A lifestyle community

Martin defines this exclusive club as a “lifestyle community.”

“We aren’t just selling a house or a weekend home, but a community where people can enjoy recreation and develop friendships with other members,” Martin said. “When we came in, we asked members, ‘If this place had everything, what would you want it to have?’”

At the top of the list was a trail system, so the developers built a wide trail from the Ranch Club to Longhorn Lake. It’s a natural material that can stand up to walking, running, biking and even golf carts. Boot Ranch marked the trail opening last year with a 5K race with proceeds benefitting local students.

Included in the master plan is a goal to introduce one new amenity every year.

Plans for 2018 include the start of construction on a new fitness center that will include equipment and a movement studio for yoga and pilates. Also, renovation will begin on the historic Metzger House into a general store and mail center. Future plans are a dog park, a full-service spa and the completion of the Lake Club.

Location

One of the community’s strengths is that it is within driving distance of over 15 million people, located off Ranch Road 965 (Milam Street), about four miles from Fredericksburg, Martin said.

*This article was written by McKenzie Mollering and published on 2/14/2018 by the Fredericksburg Standard. You can read the orginial article, HERE

Boot Ranch Reports Record Property Sales in 2017

Blake Howe on January 11, 2018

Real estate sales at Boot Ranch surged in 2017 as a result of new property releases, a preferred builder program, and the completion of significant new amenities. The exclusive private club community in the Texas Hill Country reported 64 sales in 2017 valued at $41 million, a unit-volume increase of 23% over the previous year. Dollar volume was up 64% over the previous year, thanks to the introduction of Village Home condominium residences starting at $850,000 and house-lot packages ranging from $1.3 million to more than $3 million.

Developer sales volume on 44 properties exceeded $32.6 million, with a mix of land sales, shared-ownership Sunday Houses, and Village Homes. Twenty resale transactions by Boot Ranch Realty accounted for more than $8.4 million in volume.

Current property offerings include:
• House-Lot Packages from preferred builders that start at about $1.3 million. This offering represented more than 25 of the 2017 transactions, with buyers citing the ease of selecting from pre-approved plans that can be customized and ready for move-in in less than a year.
• Home sites from one-half acre to 14 acres, priced from $250,000 to $2.5 million.
• Sunday Houses—fully furnished luxury vacation homes whose ownership and expenses are shared by eight families—with shares ranging from $325,000 to $500,000.
• Village Homes, which each comprise three luxury condominium residences priced from $1,250,000 to $2+ million.

During 2017 the developer invested $6 million in amenities. Golf course architect Hal Sutton directed a $2 million renovation of greens and bunkers to his original 2006 design. A one-acre putting park, the largest in Texas, was created along with an adjacent 3-acre event lawn and play field. A nearly 2-mile hike-and-bike trail was completed, running from the Clubhouse Village to the spring-fed Longhorn Lake. The first phase of the Lake Club opened with a covered pavilion, jumping platforms, paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, fishing, a swim beach and two amazing treehouses connected by a swinging bridge.

The Club added 52 new members in 2017, for a current total of 225. A multi-generational membership that extends club privileges to 5 generations of the member’s family is included with all property purchases.