Ponte Vedra Inn & Club has opened a new Sports Club at 261 Ponte Vedra Blvd., celebrating the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that unveiled a 35,000-square-foot fitness center, a two-story climbing wall, recovery spaces and dining options under one roof. The project marks the first phase of a county-approved, 30-year redevelopment plan for the Ponte Vedra Beach resort.
According to the St. Johns Citizen, the new facility is a $44.5 million investment, though earlier permitting coverage from the Jax Daily Record had described a planned two-story, 105,314-square-foot club with a four-level parking garage carrying a $65 million price tag. The discrepancy between the two reported figures and footprint sizes remains unresolved. What is clear is that the club now open features second-floor fitness spaces equipped exclusively with Technogym equipment, along with dedicated exercise studios, according to the seed report.
Gate Petroleum president and former Jacksonville mayor John Peyton, who owns Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, scouted concepts for the project in Italy, London and California before settling on the final design, per the same account. He said the climbing wall has already drawn participants ranging from youngsters to people in their 80s, and that members can spend an entire day moving between the gym, pool, spa and dining areas without ever leaving the property.
Recovery Suites and a Rooftop Pool With Ocean Views
The Sports Club includes a heated rooftop lap pool offering views across Ponte Vedra Boulevard to the Atlantic, the St. Johns Citizen reports. Separately, Club + Resort Business describes the facility as spanning 84,000 square feet overall and details a heated, six-lane rooftop lap pool alongside a dedicated golf training area and indoor rock climbing.
Recovery amenities include cold plunges, whirlpools, steam rooms, saunas and loungers, and members also have access to on-site physical therapy, according to the seed report. Club + Resort Business similarly notes that the facility contains a steam room, sauna, cold plunge and dedicated recovery suites, along with strength and cardio equipment marketed as following the body's natural movements to reduce injury risk.
Peyton said the future of the hospitality business is wellness, framing the new facility as a way to help members live longer and feel better. On the ground floor, Sandpiper Cafe serves a wellness-focused menu along with pizza, gelato and desserts, the St. Johns Citizen reports, while Club + Resort Business adds that the cafe offers both sit-down dining and grab-and-go options, including protein shakes, salads, rice bowls, sandwiches and desserts.
A Family Business Decades in the Making
Herbert Peyton, who founded Gate Petroleum, recalled that the club's first gym was essentially just an extension of a locker room, a far cry from the sprawling complex that opened today. Ponte Vedra Inn & Club later added an upstairs oceanfront gym in the 1990s, before the latest expansion took shape. Herbert Peyton credited his son John with leading the current Sports Club project, which was built by Brasfield & Gorrie.
Group exercise classes have already been booked solid since the club opened, and families with young children aren't left out either — The Reef provides childcare for kids ages six months through 10 while parents use the facilities, according to the seed report. Michael Gordon, president of Gate Hospitality Group and general manager of Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, told Club + Resort Business that the new 84,000-square-foot facility brings fitness, recovery, recreation and dining together under one roof.
Surf Club Overhaul Targeted for Spring 2027
The Sports Club is just the opening act. Gordon said the resort's planned Surf Club will be phenomenal when it opens next year, with a target date of spring 2027. That project is planned to include two pools, revamped dining venues and oceanfront event spaces, per the seed report.
Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts describes the Sports Club as open now, with the Surf Club expected to be unveiled in spring 2027 as the next step in what the Jacksonville Business Journal calls a multiphase expansion of the historic resort. The broader redevelopment plan, previously reported by the Jax Daily Record, is expected to unfold in six phases over 30 years, with the Sports Club representing phase one.
How It Stacks Up Regionally
Ponte Vedra's expansion arrives amid a wider wave of upscale athletic-club construction across Florida. Life Time opened its Lakewood Ranch Athletic Country Club on Oct. 12, a facility spanning more than 180,000 square feet with a resort-style Beach Club, three indoor and 11 outdoor pickleball courts, training and recovery spaces, and coworking areas, according to a release carried by Morningstar/PR Newswire. The same release notes that Life Time Jacksonville is scheduled to debut in 2027, putting a national fitness brand on a collision course with Ponte Vedra's own expansion timeline in the local market.
