- December 4, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
The number of country clubs in Sarasota is dizzying. In a picturesque region that attracts retirees far and wide, that's not surprising.
A wealth of options are available for those seeking golf, tennis, pickleball, swimming or just general fitness. Stoneybrook, Heritage Oaks and Palm Aire are some that come to mind, but are by no means the entire list.
All these clubs fight each other to try and win over prospective members and residents. To do so, they need to be on the cutting edge of sport, luxury and comfort.
The competition is crowded. Demand remains high. But one emerging player has cut through the noise.
SunCourt Sports, a tennis, pickleball and fitness community, opened Oct. 15 at the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee as part of the new Greenspon Sports Complex. Ground was broken this past March following a second major donation by Longboat Key philanthropist Larry Greenspon for redevelopment of the JFSM campus.
Greenspon played tennis in five different Maccabiah Games — the Jewish Olympic Games — and as recently as 2022. With a longtime love for the sport, he sought to create a community where underserved youth could thrive on the courts.
Paul Lederman is the director of SunCourt Sports. The longtime tennis instructor was previously the director of athletic center activities at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, where 27 years ago, he launched their tennis and fitness campus.
Following Greenspon's $3.5 million donation in June 2024, he was approached by JFSM CEO Shepard Englander with the idea for SunCourt.
"Basically, I looked at him and said, 'Have you ever done this before?' and he goes, 'No, I haven't,'" Lederman said of their interaction. "So for over eight months, I consulted with him, trying to get the tennis and pickleball program going, and plan what we would need to do moving forward to get this launched off the ground."
Hiring Lederman to spearhead operations was a winning move by JFSM. He's one of the most respected tennis voices in Southwest Florida, and a genuine guy with an expansive knowledge of the game's ins and outs.
That's refreshing for players old and young who want to feel welcome. Whether they're interested in learning one thing or several, he's more than capable of providing proper teaching.
He's also an expert in what SunCourt needs, precisely because he's built a sports community from scratch before. And he had wild success in doing so.
"In year one (at LRGCC), we had nine courts, and were scheduled to have 18 courts in year five. By the end of year one, we had 18 courts," Lederman said. "And that really was my approach here. I want to build this up enough so it becomes a real place to play."
Lederman's goal is to simulate the quality of a private country club experience without the daunting price tag or often-exclusive culture. He sees unique appeal because SunCourt is run by a nonprofit organization, and not part of a corporation or homeowner's association like many competing clubs.
Cost, though, is paramount in the eyes of members. They'll expect great value and then some if they do commit their hard-earned dollars.
A SunCourt Sports membership requires a $500 initiation fee, as well as a $150 monthly fee. That's roughly one-third the price of nearby high-end country clubs, per Lederman.
All members can expect unlimited tennis and pickleball access, and in 10 months, will also have a resort pool with lap swimming and aerobics classes. Claudiu Retean is the head tennis professional, coming over from Longboat Key Tennis Center after serving in the same role there for 15 years.
Lederman himself expects to be on the courts teaching four to six hours daily. As of Oct. 10, he has 21 hours of lessons lined up weekly with players he brought over from Lakewood Ranch.
"We're going to have a tremendous amount of league play here, and programs and clinics. I want this to be the place where you come to really play," Lederman said. "It's going to be country club style with great service, but not fluff where you have to wear a Bugs Bunny costume and play in a social event or things like that."
The community's current claim to fame comes from its courts. All of them are red clay rather than hardcourt or green clay, meaning that SunCourt is the only one in the region to offer that surface.
Clay is popular at country clubs because of how forgiving it is on the joints relative to hard surfaces. For younger, more advanced players, the slower ball speed and slide-friendly surface encourages longer rallies, and often, an opportunity to work on different tactics than they could on hardcourt or grass.
That's a major differentiating factor. Having red clay puts SunCourt on the forefront of a future that has yet to fully arrive, and ensures that members will compose a diverse demographic of ages and skill levels.
"A lot of the green clay underground water that was built in the late 1990s and early 2000s is starting to fail. I feel (red clay) is going to be the future of Florida tennis," Lederman said. "You don't get calcification and algae. It's a really natural playing surface, and it just makes so much sense. We're going to lead the way here."
That being said, there's much still unfinished at the Greenspon Sports Complex.
Other than the tennis courts, construction engulfs the campus with both the pickleball courts and swimming pool still in progress.
But with the right man in charge, as well as prices and courts that cater to the modern member, SunCourt Sports has already gone against the grain.
