SARASOTA, Fla. (April 7, 2015) – The Founders Club, recently named Sarasota’s Best Overall Community by the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, is now 60 percent built-out.

The 700-acre community offers only 262 single-family homes nestled into hundreds of acres of open space, nature preserves and lakes. The 156th homesite sold in late March, propelling the community to the 60 percent built-out milestone.

“Every community has its time, and this is The Founders Club’s year,” said Roland Nairnsey, director of sales for London Bay Homes, which owns the majority of the community’s homesites. “With the opening of the new University Town Center just eight minutes away and downtown Sarasota only nine miles away, The Founders Club is in the center of Sarasota’s newest and best amenities.”

Recent buyers have included seasonal residents and full-time families seeking the convenience of the community’s location, its amenities and natural setting within a native Florida landscape. Nairnsey said 150 homes are complete.

“A couple from Atlanta found us during an online search,” said Nairnsey. “The husband knew exactly what he wanted: an exclusive golf course in a luxury single-family home community with a clubhouse for entertainment, activities and a social life.”

The Founders Club offers large homesites overlooking nature preserves, lakes and fairways along the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed championship golf course. The community features 100 protected live oaks and a natural habitat that attracts a variety of birds and wildlife.

“Homebuyers appreciate the community’s natural beauty and privacy,” Nairnsey said.

A North Port, Florida family sought the security of a gated community and a location closer to shopping and Sarasota’s beaches.

“We’re just three miles from I-75, close to an excellent choice of both public and private schools and yet so peaceful,” said Nairnsey. “The mall opening has created a buzz, and buyers are discovering The Founders Club offers a desirable location and lifestyle. Our buyers are families who plan to live here and enjoy everything inside and outside the gates.”

The opening of the new mall and the facilities offered at nearby Nathan Benderson Park, including world-class rowing facilities, jogging and biking trails and picnic areas, have shifted Sarasota’s shopping and recreational activities east and north.

Designed to foster camaraderie and a connection to nature, The Founders Club’s Parade of Homes award-winning amenities include the opportunity to live amongst nature, with views of bird habitats, lakes, the golf course and sometimes all three. The 24,000-square-foot Golf House is the center of the community’s golf and social lifestyle, offering casual and fine dining, an outdoor verandah overlooking an oak hammock and the 18th hole, a fitness center, golf pro shop, and men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges.

The Founders Club recently welcomed an acclaimed chef, Mark Traugutt, a veteran of the New York City dining scene; expanded the golf driving range and improved short-game facilities; and renovated the entrance from Fruitville Road, the latter earning Parade of Home honors.

A traditional private golf and social club, The Founders Club offers the area’s only traditional caddie program. Golfers are allowed to walk the course, and membership is limited to 275 to ensure members enjoy year-round golf with no tee time required.

Training facilities include two putting greens, a short game area, and state-of-the-art TrackMan radar technology offered through Florida Golf Performance Center.

The club offers a vibrant, active social calendar and an in-season reciprocal partnership with Sarasota Yacht Club.

The Founders Club also features 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 Founders Club is also close to downtown Sarasota’s acclaimed local restaurants, world-class arts and culture venues, and the area’s famed Gulf of Mexico beaches.

London Bay Homes offers a selection of more than 18 single-family detached 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. Home and homesite packages are priced from the $750,000s to more than $5 million.

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.