--- title: "Members to Neighbors: Stephen and Andrea Perkins' Founders Story" description: Stephen and Andrea Perkins joined Founders before they owned a home there. Read how the club became their community, then their neighborhood. image: https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/images/blog/stephen%20and%20andrea%20family.webp --- [Skip to the main content.](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/stephen-and-andrea-perkins-founders-story#main-content) - [Blog](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com) - [Member Login](https://thefoundersgolfclub.com/member-login) [![Founders Club](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hs-fs/hubfs/branding/Founders-Club-Logo-350.png?width=350&height=110&name=Founders-Club-Logo-350.png "Founders Club")](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com) [![Founders Club](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hs-fs/hubfs/branding/Founders-Club-Logo-350.png?width=350&height=110&name=Founders-Club-Logo-350.png "Founders Club")](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com) - [GOLF](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/our-course) - [THE CLUB](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/club-experience/our-club) - [Our Story](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/our-history/j-hamilton-gillespie) - [Amenities & Wellness](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/club-experience/wellness) - [Guide to Sarasota](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/location) - [Policies & Guests](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/club-experience/dress-code) - [CLUBHOUSE & DINING](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/dining/golf-hall) - [Golf Hall](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/dining/golf-hall) - [Dining & Social](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/dining/dining) - [MEMBERSHIP](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/membership) - [HOST AN EVENT](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/host-an-event/venue) - CONTACT US - Contact - [Careers](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/careers) Search Toggle Menu Search Toggle Menu - [GOLF](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/our-course) - [THE CLUB](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/club-experience/our-club) - [Our Story](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/our-history/j-hamilton-gillespie) - [Amenities & Wellness](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/club-experience/wellness) - [Guide to Sarasota](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/location) - [Policies & Guests](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/club-experience/dress-code) - [CLUBHOUSE & DINING](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/dining/golf-hall) - [Golf Hall](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/dining/golf-hall) - [Dining & Social](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/dining/dining) - [MEMBERSHIP](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/membership) - [HOST AN EVENT](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/host-an-event/venue) - CONTACT US - Contact - [Careers](https://thefoundersgolfclub-244061362.hs-sites-na2.com/careers) 2 min read # Members to Neighbors: Stephen and Andrea Perkins' Founders Story [Juliette Valin](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/author/juliette-valin) August 27, 2026 [Member Stories](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/tag/member-stories) ![Members to Neighbors: Stephen and Andrea Perkins' Founders Story](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/images/blog/stephen%20and%20andrea%20family.webp) Stephen and Andrea Perkins joined Founders before they had a house to call home in Sarasota. Two years later, they closed on a place on the 10th fairway, just in time to start their first full season as neighbors instead of visitors. ## The Search The Perkins started their search in January of 2023 with one requirement: they wanted a pristine [place to play golf](https://thefoundersgolfclub.com/). After a long week touring Lakewood Ranch clubs with waitlists and years-long building timelines, a friend pointed them toward a club they hadn't looked at yet. "He said, 'Well, have you tried the Founders Golf Club?' And I said, I didn't know anything about it,” Stephen recalled. "We knew right away when we drove in that we loved it. It just felt like home. The old oak trees and the Spanish moss. It looked different than any of the other courses we'd looked at." They joined the club that same trip, before they had a house lined up. But a short search with their realtor turned up a home nearby in Lakewood Ranch, and the Perkins settled in as members first, residents second. ## A Community That Felt Like Home For Andrea, Founders' women golfers changed how she thought about the game. She’s been a member of clubs before, in Colorado and Indiana. She expected the usual mix of politeness and distance here. ![stephen and andrea selfie](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/blog/stephen%20and%20andrea%20selfie.webp?width=280&height=210&name=stephen%20and%20andrea%20selfie.webp)"But those women, no matter what your skill level, embraced me and made me feel like I belonged. I had never experienced that anywhere else in the other clubs that we've joined," Andrea said. "It gave me this new passion for golf that I hadn't experienced in any other golf club setting." Stephen built connections on the men's side, too. Recently retired and adjusting to a slower pace, he found himself playing solo more often than not, until dinners with other couples and regular rounds started to shift that. "It started to feel really good for me, too," he said, crediting the club's smaller membership for making tee times and friendships easier to come by. ## Life at Founders A typical week for the Perkins includes about three rounds of golf, fitness classes, massage therapy, and time on the bike outside the gates. "Golf is central, but it's not every day," Stephen said. ![grandparents](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/blog/grandparents.webp?width=162&height=216&name=grandparents.webp)For their extended family, club events [get them excited for the future](https://thefoundersgolfclub.com/club-experience/our-club). An Easter gathering early in their membership, complete with a full spread and a crowd of visiting families, gave them a clear picture of what the future could look like with grandchildren. "It gave us so much hope that our kids and grandkids will come and join us for holidays down there," she said. The family already counts five grandchildren, with a sixth on the way. ## A Part of Something "I think Founders Club showed me how I can feel a part of something," Stephen said. “If you like the golf club, which is hard not to, you don't have to live in the neighborhood. Some people live out on the water and still drive over to the club to play. It's not required, and you're still part of the golf club if you want to play." Two years since that first visit, their feelings haven't changed. "No one we've interacted with is anything but incredibly nice and accommodating," Andrea said. The Perkins will move into their new home soon, right on the fairway they once only saw from a listing photo. [You can be a part of something, too.](https://thefoundersgolfclub.com/membership) [![Dramatic-Course (1)-1](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/244061362/interactive-329408993003.png)](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJcUXCvt%2BrdLfqUY8CM0hOpI4Qyszst2oJBwlLEVO2KGYoZFM7KhsI4NsgmiP0Tp6KwnG4SqsIr5nIqPTYWt6O6A9fV7A3ssDgfDfr49NiHdTm%2BL4cGTUbw4FkhJHy52OfoOwEsGHLUvIQXv959h1%2FUaP1nPBToOp1A4OuIrOywyBAZtVadUWx125fh5LT%2B%2F6dUyUplrLNuT8JRzP2SKqQmpWPGNAVbPwWD81Py&webInteractiveContentId=329408993003&portalId=244061362) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ##### Subscribe [![Why Serious Golfers Leave Their Clubs](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/images/blog/when%20too%20much%20limits%20your%20ability%20to%20play%20(1).webp)](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/why-serious-golfers-leave-their-clubs) #### [Why Serious Golfers Leave Their Clubs](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/why-serious-golfers-leave-their-clubs) August 27, 2026 Stop me if you’ve experienced this before. [Read More](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/why-serious-golfers-leave-their-clubs) [![Members to Neighbors: Stephen and Andrea Perkins' Founders Story](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/images/blog/stephen%20and%20andrea%20family.webp)](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/stephen-and-andrea-perkins-founders-story) #### [Members to Neighbors: Stephen and Andrea Perkins' Founders Story](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/stephen-and-andrea-perkins-founders-story) August 27, 2026 Stephen and Andrea Perkins joined Founders before they had a house to call home in Sarasota. Two years later, they closed on a place on the 10th... [Read More](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/stephen-and-andrea-perkins-founders-story) [![The Hunt: The Story Behind The Founders Club’s Fall Tradition](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/images/blog/The%20Hunt-%20The%20Story%20Behind%20The%20Founders%20Club%E2%80%99s%20Fall%20Tradition.webp)](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/the-hunt-the-story-behind-the-founders-fall-tradition) #### [The Hunt: The Story Behind The Founders Club’s Fall Tradition](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/the-hunt-the-story-behind-the-founders-fall-tradition) August 27, 2026 Every October at Founders, members start checking schedules and golf shop conversations turn to handicaps and match pairings. [Read More](https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/the-hunt-the-story-behind-the-founders-fall-tradition) 941-371-9720 Site Map The Founders Golf Club 3800 Golf Hall Drive, Sarasota, FL 34240 © 2026 Copyright © The Founders Golf Club [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/thefoundersgolfclub)[X](https://twitter.com/FoundersGolf) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Juliette Valin", "url" : "https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/author/juliette-valin" }, "dateModified" : "2026-08-27T18:42:33.562Z", "datePublished" : "2026-08-27T18:42:33.000Z", "headline" : "Members to Neighbors: Stephen and Andrea Perkins' Founders Story", "image" : [ "https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/images/blog/stephen%20and%20andrea%20family.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/stephen-and-andrea-perkins-founders-story", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.thefoundersgolfclub.com/hubfs/branding/Founders-Club-Logo.png" } } } ```