Blackstone Senior Executive's Family VC Acquires Hurricane Junior Golf Tour
Recently, U.S. investment firm Bolt Ventures announced the acquisition of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT). Further terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bolt Ventures is the family venture capital firm of investor David Blitzer. After graduating from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1991, Blitzer joined Blackstone Group, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Tactical Opportunities group.
He is also the first person to hold equity in teams across all five major U.S. men's professional sports leagues. His notable portfolio includes: Premier League club Crystal Palace, NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, NHL's New Jersey Devils, NFL's Washington Commanders, MLB's Cleveland Guardians, and MLS's Real Salt Lake, among others.
Currently, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT) has grown into the largest multi-day junior golf tour in the United States, hosting over 300 events annually across 24 U.S. states, as well as in China and Canada.
HJGT was founded in 2007 by Mario Conte, who holds dual bachelor's degrees in Hospitality Management and Business Administration from Saint Leo University. After a brief stint in the restaurant industry post-graduation, Conte realized it wasn't his passion and instead founded HJGT, aiming to create more competitive golf opportunities for junior golfers aged 8 to 18.
Above: HJGT founder Mario Conte
HJGT is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Junior players can compete in different divisions based on age and gender: Boys 16-18, Boys 14-15, Boys 12-13, Boys 10-11, Girls 14-18, and Girls 13 & Under.
All tournaments use a points system, with 1st place earning 1,000 points in regular events and 1,500 points in Major Championships, etc. All tournament points are counted toward the Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS). This is one of the world's leading junior golf ranking systems, used as a key reference by many international tournaments and universities for selection.
HJGT was introduced to China in June 2023, establishing an independent "China Hurricane Ranking". Top-ranked players earn eligibility for U.S. Hurricane events, and the Chinese organizer also issues "wild cards" to promising players for major tournaments.
Above: Hurricane Tour Championship held in December 2025 at Yalong Bay, Sanya
HJGT has also received support from Tiger Woods. His asset management firm Nexus Luxury Collection, where he is a lead partner, acquired a minority stake in HJGT in 2017.
As part of the acquisition, Bolt Ventures appointed company executive Josh Press as CEO of HJGT. He will work alongside HJGT founder and executive director Mario Conte during the ownership transition.
| Source: Official press release, golfdigest, HJGT official website, Saint Leo University blog
| Image source: HJGT official Instagram; official website