Fred S Ridley

Practice Areas

Corporate, Real Estate, Transactions

Career

Fred Ridley advises private equity sponsors, developers, and institutional investors on transactions involving real estate, resorts, and multi-sports platforms. He works with senior executives, boards, and ownership groups to provide practical counsel on matters that drive long-term success.

As the lead for several of Foley’s client relationships, Fred advises on acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, and development transactions, often serving as lead counsel on projects with capital structures and phased execution. His approach integrates legal strategy with investment, operational, and development objectives.

With more than 25 years of experience, Fred represents owners and investors in destination resorts, private clubs, and lifestyle communities, including assets centered on golf, tennis, yachting, and other sports and leisure offerings. His work involves entitlement, permitting, and public-private considerations, particularly in resort development or other amenities.

Fred previously served as national chair of Foley’s Real Estate Practice and as a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He is a member of the Private Equity Practice and the Hospitality & Leisure and Sports & Entertainment Industry Teams. He coordinates Foley’s legal work for clients, including Tampa Bay Rays, Pursuit Sports Group, Redwood Holdings, Discovery Land Consolidated, Diamond Baseball Holdings, Inc, and Silver Eagle Distributors.

Professional Memberships

-Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament

-Past president of the United States Golf Association (2004 – 2005)

Experience

Representative Experience

-Continuing to represent a private members’ club in the Bahamas on its transition to member ownership. The engagement includes the acquisition of equity interests in the entities that support and operate the club, including its marina, utility infrastructure, and employee housing facilities. Our team is also negotiating a long‑term management agreement with the club’s historic developer and manager. This work is central to facilitating a seamless transfer of operational control and ensuring long‑term stability and continuity for the club and its membership community.

-Served as legal counsel to an ownership group led by Florida-based business executive Patrick Zalupski in the purchase of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays for an undisclosed amount from former principal owner Stuart Sternberg in a deal unanimously approved by MLB owners. This is the third ownership group of the Rays since MLB awarded Tampa Bay an expansion franchise in 1995.

-Served as legal advisor to Hampton Golf-managed entities in their sale of Southern Hills Plantation Club to Heritage Golf Group. This transaction is the fourth and final property sale of the multi-club agreement in which Foley advised Hampton Golf-managed entities. The agreement also involved the prior sale of three other properties: The Plantation Golf & Country Club, County Club of Ocala, and The Palencia Club to Heritage Golf Group.

-Served as legal advisor to the joint venture purchaser of Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. South Street Partners, a leading private equity real estate investment and development firm headquartered in Charlotte and Charleston; Dream Finders Homes, a nationally recognized homebuilder headquartered in Jacksonville and the Official Home Builder of the PGA TOUR; Pat Battle, Executive Chairman of Diamond Baseball Holdings and past Chairman and CEO of IMG College (fka: Collegiate Licensing Company) and select joint venture equity partners together acquired the 66 acres adjacent to the iconic PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, home of the annual THE PLAYERS championship since 1982. The joint venture will focus on significantly elevating the resort’s offerings, with plans for a comprehensive renovation.

-Served as legal adviser to Cabot Saint Lucia Inc., led by Cabot co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar, in connection with securing its $100 million construction facility from VICI Lendco LLC, a subsidiary of real estate investment trust VICI Properties Inc., for the build-out of its resort golf community Cabot Saint Lucia.

-Represented Tower Three Golf Champions Retreat LLC, a subsidiary of the private equity firm Tower Three Partners, founded by Bill Forrest, in its sale of the Champions Retreat Golf Club to Arcis Golf LLC.

-Served as legal adviser to NEXUS Luxury Collection (NEXUS) in structuring the equity investment and transaction for its plans to open T-Squared Social, a premium sports and entertainment gastro pub, in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Education