Dynamic Duo! Two Visionaries Reshaping Rockin' J Ranch. View the Property Video!
- Steve Habel
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Rockin J Ranch is the home of the highly rated Vaaler Creek Golf Club, which has firmly established itself as a must-play in the region and one of the TOP 10 COURSES in the state.
There have been more changes to our daily lives over the past 20 years than we can begin to count, but there’s one thing that stays the same — owning land, and the ability to build on, live on and thrive on that piece of property, is considered a basic right for Americans. It’s on that tenant that Colonel Lee Roper built a part of his legacy in the years after his retirement from a stellar, 24-year military career. One of the neighborhoods Roper founded is Rockin’ J Ranch in Blanco, a sprawling tract just south of town that the El Paso businessman developed after he became enamored by the property nearly four decades ago. Rockin J Ranch is the home of the highly rated Vaaler Creek Golf Club, which has firmly established itself as a must-play in the region and one of the top courses in the state. The exclusive, gated neighborhood that Roper platted and envisioned has enjoyed robust success as families have moved further away from the crowded population hubs of San Antonio and Austin. Less than 10 percent of the homesites originally available for purchase in the 1,064-acre community have not been contracted as there are in excess of 650 homes set among the property’s wide series of hills and plateaus, rolling fields of flowers and stands of oak and cedar trees.
Rockin' J Ranch stretches over 1,000 acres of beautiful rolling hill country. The original ranch presence has been honored and preserved throughout the development, with some of the 150 year-old buildings and landmarks being incorporated into the clubhouse design. Honoring a Texas legacy, the streets are named for historic Texas Rangers.
“There has scarcely been a time where growth has slowed over the past 15 years,” said Ryan Brubaker, the long-time sales manager at Rockin J’ Ranch. “Demand remains high even with the challenges created by the current economy, and we expect to continue to grow.”
“The property almost sells itself,” Brubaker explained. “People understand the advantages to living where they are remote but not too much so. We are very proud of the community we have built here.”
Roper, who turned 97 years of age in November, built the community on a series of handshake agreements and continued to work that way when he started selling the lots and homesites that encompass Rockin’ J Ranch.
You can still get a plot of land at Rockin’ J Ranch based on your signature and with as little as 10 percent down for lots from one-quarter acre to one acre in size. The development company offers in-house financing for the community’s lots (and is offering a no-interest loan if buyers make a 50 percent down payment) and will continue to carry the note for up to 20 years with no prepay penalties.
There is no requirement to build on purchased land, with some buyers preferring to hold on to their property as a valued investment. Children in the neighborhood are schooled in the Blanco ISD, which is considered one of the highest-performing districts in the region.
One of the earmarks of Rockin’ J Ranch is its use of a centralized water and sewer system rather than the well water and septic fields used in many other Hill Country developments. That matters because water is a precious resource and so scarce in the region – even more so now than when the neighborhood was originally envisioned.
There is still a ranch presence here, and that was preserved by incorporating a number of 150-year old homes and landmarks into the community’s clubhouse and throughout the golf course design. All the streets in the Rockin’ J Ranch are named for Texas Rangers, and the natural land offers habitat to all kinds of wildlife, perfect for great photography and seclusion and a desired quality of life that’s hard to match.
A recent trip to the community showed small herds of deer at play in the open spaces of the scrub brush and mixing with golfers at the manicured golf club. The golf course is one of the region’s most enjoyable and has been voted among the best public tracks in Texas. All real estate sales include basic membership.
Rockin' J Ranch stretches over 1,000 acres of beautiful rolling hill country. The original ranch presence has been honored and preserved throughout the development, with some of the 150 year-old buildings and landmarks being incorporated into the clubhouse design. Honoring a Texas legacy, the streets are named for historic Texas Rangers.
Opened as a nine-hole track in 2007, Vaaler Creek GC was considered by many golfers early on to be quirky. Expanded to a full 18 holes two years later and allowed to grow up and grow in as the community has taken shape on its edges, the course has won over players in droves – there is scarcely a day without a full tee sheet.
“We remain one of the most popular places to tee it up in this region of the state, with our play continuing to grow since the post-COVID golf boom,” said Adam Grosch, Vaaler Creek GC’s general manager and head PGA professional. “We take great pride in our rate of return players – it’s always good to see a familiar face with a smile on it.”
“But we also understand the jewel of a course we have here. It gets the amount of play it does for a real reason — Vaaler Creek is just a very good, very fun, very well-maintained golf course that’s hard to beat at the price we charge to play.”
Vaaler Creek GC was named in honor of Jack Vaaler, a war veteran who served with Roper who passed away during the initial construction phase of the golf course.
Vaaler Creek GC was the first signature design by Michael Lowry, who fashioned a much-tougher-than-its-carded 6,874- yard, par-72 track among live oak and cactus. Lowry worked in all sorts of cool features: ponds, sand hazards of various sizes and severity, elevated tee shots and wavy, tree-lined fairways.
Both nines offer far-reaching views of the famed surrounding region. The generous homesite setbacks mean that the residences near the course are mostly out of sight and always unobtrusive, adding to the course’s isolated feel. The back nine at Vaaler Creek is a bit more mature and not as severe as the newer outward half.
Given its length, golfers might think they can overpower Vaaler Creek, but finding success here is not that simple. The course has a rich variety of long and short holes, with shots involving strategically placed bunkers and occasional carryover water, including on the closing hole’s approach. The course’s true last line of defense is its lightning-quick, mounded and sectioned putting surfaces, which can make aggressive players timid and prone to second-guessing.
Much like the neighborhood surrounding it, Vaaler Creek GC was destined to succeed because of the plan set in motion when it was founded. There has been continual work to improve the course over the past 18 years and the attention to detail on the course and the hospitality and downright Texas-ness from the staff shine through.
An enclosed teaching area at the course’s practice facility allows for all-weather lessons and game improvement. A refined short-game area will come online this winter at the driving range that includes a green-side bunker and allows for full shots out into the range to practice fairway bunker shots. The putting green itself is 5,000 square feet and has a lot of room around it to hone in chip shots of all varieties.
“The community continues to grow as does our number of rounds from the public and members, so demand is high and tee times need to made well in advance,” said Grosch, who along with Colonel Roper and Brubaker have been at Rockin’ J Ranch and Vaaler Creek since its opening. “The only way to become a member of our course is to own land or a home inside Rockin’ J Ranch and you won’t find a better deal on membership anywhere in Texas.”
Rockin' J Ranch stretches over 1,000 acres of beautiful rolling hill country. The original ranch presence has been honored and preserved throughout the development, with some of the 150 year-old buildings and landmarks being incorporated into the clubhouse design. Honoring a Texas legacy, the streets are named for historic Texas Rangers.
“We host a ton of golf associations and tournament groups of 24 to 144 players all throughout the year. Our tournament calendar for next year is already filling up quickly.”
The community also sports a pool, a pool house, and a clubhouse built with rustic charm, and there are hiking trails and outdoor activities. There are condos for purchase or rental off the 10th tee of the golf course, a nature park, ponds for canoeing and fishing, and a pavilion near the community pool for after-golf dining, entertaining and special events.
The unique livability of Rockin’ J Ranch helps residents get away from it all while sacrificing nothing as far as amenities and convenience. The community has become a melting pot of residents from across Texas and from coast to coast.
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