Golfer Fred Funk Selling $6.1M Waterfront Mansion in Florida

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In 2005, professional golfer Fred Funk won The Players Championship, his sport’s biggest payday. The Players, held annually at TPC at Sawgrass, covers over 415 acres of Florida swampland in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. That same year, Funk and his wife, Sharon, began construction on their dream property less than four miles south of Sawgrass. Today, their 9,585-square-foot mansion is on the market for $6.1 million.

The estate sits on a strip of land near the Intracoastal Waterway, offering views of a private waterfront and a nature preserve. The property, which contains three separate houses, takes cues from the design features used by Frank Lloyd Wright and John Saladino. The result is a European-inspired, earth-toned set of homes, which blend in with the grassy and tree-filled surroundings.

The estate “sort of meshes in with nature so well,” says the listing agent, Laura Borger, who has been familiar with the estate since it was built. “It’s what makes it so unique.”

Front entrance

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Funk’s compound, tucked behind shady trees, features a sprawling three-bedroom, two-bathroom guesthouse; a 5,000-square-foot main house; and a game house with a fitness center and trophy room filled with Funk’s PGA memorabilia.

There’s a large living room and kitchen with high ceilings, hardwood and earth-colored floors, stone walls, and sliding glass doors at almost every turn. Outside, the Funks have installed an Italian-style fountain, a small pool, and—naturally—a small putting green.

The property’s natural beauty offers some of the most breathtaking views of the Sunshine State, according to Borger. “The sun sets right over the water, so you get these magnificent sunsets every evening.

“You don’t have obstructed views,” she adds. “There’s boats that come down that waterway, and it’s pretty cool to see them go by. It makes it fun.”

Aerial view from the Intracoastal Waterway

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Despite the property’s seclusion, the Funks stayed connected to the outside world by inviting friends, family, and even locals to stay.

“They’ve really just tried to not only make the house their home,” Borger said. “They’ve had people live with them for years, just off and on. They really do just try to serve the best they can to their community with what they’ve been given, which is their house.”

With their son Taylor already in college (and becoming a golf star in his own right) and daughter Perri about to leave for college herself, the huge house they once called home will be a bit too much for the Funks.

Kitchen

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The Funks’ property might look like one of the dozens of luxe properties in a state famous for its retirees, but Borger thinks otherwise.

“Houses in Florida are very large-scale, and they don’t feel like you can live in them like you would a nice house. They’re more like a museum,“ Borger explains. “This one’s very much different. It’s got that homey feeling. It’s a house for the right type of person who wants to live there and not just see it as a big house.”

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