- March 4, 2026
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Anyone looking to join the Longboat Key Club Friars has a few qualifications to meet. They must have at least a baseline understanding of the game of golf and be willing to hop into a randomly paired matchup. But, perhaps more importantly, members must be able to embrace the lighter, social side of the club, which has a robust sense of camaraderie that has kept members coming back for decades.
The golf group is gearing up for its annual dinner later this month, and members took a moment to reflect on what has kept its spirit strong.
The Friars have the benefit of welcoming members like Dean Friedman, who joined just this year and adds to the enthusiasm for the game. They also benefit from long-serving members like Matt Zito, who joined in 1993, and Harold Seegmiller, who joined in 1994.
"Back then, they all called me 'kiddo,' because I was the youngest guy at the time," Zito said. "We always had a lot of fun with the early guys, the majority of whom were in their 70s and 80s."
The club's name may call to mind a set of brown robes, but it actually stands for "Friday Afternoon Recreational Society."
They started off with 20-some members getting together once a week for some casual golf. There were some strict standards though, as they didn't want any members to have a handicap outside 14.
Year by year, membership grew as the Friars welcomed new characters. Membership skyrocketed in the past four years, rising to about 150 active members.
Of course, new members bring fresh perspectives to the club.
"This morning, I'm playing with three guys, and I might know one of them," said Charlie Cannon, who joined in 2017. "That's how much growth there's been."
Current commissioner Charles Eldridge joined the club in 2021, and while he says it was not his ambition to lead, he felt compelled to take up the mantle when his predecessor was ready to pass along the responsibility.
The March 24 gathering is when members will award titles, including the "Frank Sulzman Golf Genius Award." They also take the time to decide how best to give back to the community members who support them, like when they raised $15,000 last year for the grounds crew affected by the hurricanes.
Fellow members including Jim Leish, who joined in 2023, heaped credit upon Director of Golf Terry O’Hara for his work in facilitating the Friars' matches. Beyond coordinating schedules, he has cultivated a course that set the gold standard for hurricane resilience, they said.
Seeing the care that goes into the facilities prompts them to be mindful of leaving divots and unraked sand traps, and it sets the stage for some great golf.
Members can certainly hold their own when it comes to skills on the green. Zito has shot half a dozen holes-in-one over his golf career.
But being part of the Friars means more than keeping up one's technique, he said.
The social aspect of being teamed up with a constantly rotating roster of Longboaters is one of the best parts of the Friars, the members agreed.
Sometimes, conversation turns to former careers, and the members come from an impressive variety of backgrounds in different medical fields, business and more. Eldridge said any bravado except that in a fun, sporting spirit gets left at the door.
Eldridge anticipates that the next decade of clubhood will bring plenty more memories. Even members who are no longer active plan to join the fun, as he anticipates attendance of about 180 people at the upcoming dinner.
