SARASOTA, Fla. (July 1, 2015) – A summertime renovation at The Founders Club’s clubhouse will enhance an already close-knit community and its social and active lifestyle, according to Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay Homes, which owns the majority of the Sarasota community’s homesites.
The project at the 24,000-square-foot Golf Hall will include enhancements to the interior design including new décor, furniture, window treatments, carpeting and artwork in the dining room, private dining room, the bar and grille room, and lobby and hallway areas.
Still in the planning stages, the renovation may also incorporate changes to the popular verandah overlooking an oak hammock and the 18th hole of The Founders Club’s Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed championship golf course.
“The Founders Club is truly unique, with a great family feel and close relationships between residents fostered by an active social calendar,” said Wilson. “Because of the community’s intimate size, the club’s membership is active in events, clubs, activities and other offerings that enhance the members’ lifestyle. The clubhouse is the heart of the community, and the renovations are being designed to enhance the experience.”
“The Founders Club is a special place combining great surroundings and just wonderful people,” said resident Humberto Vainieri.
The summertime renovation will brighten the club’s main gathering areas and reflect the Golf Hall’s Florida low-country motif. It also will incorporate artwork and photographs showcasing the community’s natural beauty and the golf course.
The 700-acre community offers just 262 single-family homes on large homesites overlooking nature preserves, lakes and fairways. It also features 100 protected live oaks and a natural habitat that attracts a variety of birds and wildlife.
The Founders Club’s award-winning amenities are designed to foster camaraderie among residents and a connection with nature.
“There’s a lot to do here,” said resident Deborah Vainieri. “When we first moved to The Founders Club, I was not a golfer, so I found other activities that fit my interests. There’s Pilates, yoga, a card group, ladies’ trips and luncheons. I’ve since taken up golf so my world has opened up even more.”
According to Hugh O’Donnell, general manager, the renovations will not impact the club’s summertime trial golf memberships, available through Oct. 1. Trial members will have an opportunity to experience the club’s facilities, all social and golf programs, handicap system registration and golf bag storage.
Trial memberships also include full-service dining prepared by an award-winning executive chef and culinary team, complimentary exercise classes, yoga and Pilates, on-call massage therapists and trainers, as well as junior golf clinics.
Trial members may also apply their $1,000 entry free to an upgrade on a limited number of equity and non-equity memberships.
The Founders Club, a private golf and social club community, recently was recognized by the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association’s 2015 Parade of Homes for Best Amenities.
Offering the area’s only traditional caddie program, The Founders Club allows golfers to walk the course. Membership is limited to 275 to ensure members enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.
Training facilities include two putting greens, a recently enlarged driving range and remodeled short game area featuring Titleist Pro V-1 balls, and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.
The Golf Hall also offers a fully stocked golf pro shop, state-of-the-art fitness center, and men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges.
The Founders Club also features miles of boardwalks and paved walkways, Har-Tru tennis courts, basketball and sand volleyball courts, and a picnic pavilion. Fitness and wellness classes, educational and instructional programs, and social gatherings are coordinated by a professional staff.
The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.
“The camaraderie of this club is the best I’ve ever seen,” said O’Donnell. “No one’s a stranger, no one’s a number.”
The Founders Club was named the Parade of Homes’ Best Overall Community (201-500 homesites) and received awards for its entry and the Clara model built by London Bay Homes.
London Bay Homes offers a selection of more than 18 single-family villa homes, Reserve Collection homes and one-of-a-kind estates ranging from 2,500 to more than 6,000 square feet of living space at The Founders Club. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $750,000s to more than $5 million.
The Founders Club is just minutes from Sarasota’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches, the new University Town Center mall, and the acclaimed local restaurants, boutiques and arts and cultural venues of downtown Sarasota.
The Founders Club Sales Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is located at 3001 Founders Club Drive, three miles east of I-75 on Fruitville Road, Exit 210.
For more information about The Founders Club, call 941-398-0900 or visit www.TheFoundersClub.com.