Maybe your thing is breathing in the crisp salt air from atop a surfboard in the sparkling Gulf of Mexico. Or perhaps you’d rather spend the day playing on a luxurious and challenging golf course. Whatever your game, opportunities abound for sports enthusiasts.

Year-round sunshine, endless waterways and lots of visitors and retirees with time on their hands have all fed the growth of Sarasota’s sporting life. Fishing, kayaking, windsurfing, racquetball, baseball and even bowling (regular or lawn) are par for the course here. We have some of the top tennis courts—and players—anywhere, and the famous IMG Academy in nearby Bradenton offers world-class instruction in tennis, baseball, golf and performance training to adults as well as children. There’s even a growing ice hockey scene, and for several months of the year, famous polo players swing their mallets on lush fields east of town.

Or, if watching the pros is more up your alley, head to a spring training game or take a short trek north for a Tampa Bay Rays, Buccaneers or Lightning game..

BASEBALL

Cincinnati Reds, Ed Smith Stadium, 12th Street and Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota. 954-4464. The Major League team plays its spring training games in Sarasota.

Pittsburgh Pirates, McKechnie Field, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. 748-4610. Bradenton hosts the Major League’s Pirates during spring training games in March.

Cincinnati Reds/Florida State League Affiliate, 954-4464. Class A minor-league ball at Ed Smith Stadium spring through fall.

Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg. (727) 825-3137. REWORD AT LAYOUT TO MENTION WORLD SERIES Major League baseball April through September in St. Pete’s domed stadium.

BOATING, FISHING
A sampling of the area’s many options. Check your Yellow Pages for more.

Cannons Marina, 6040 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. 383-1311. Boat rentals, sales.

Captain Action Charter Service, 955-4524. Gulf and bay fishing.

Capt. Bob Smith Sport Fishing Guide, 366-2159. Half-day and full-day fishing trips.

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters, 1249 Stickney Point Road, Siesta Key. 349-4400. Bay, backcountry and coastal Gulf fishing.

Explorer Fishing Charters, 376-2714. Offshore fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Flying Fish Fleet, Marina Jack, Sarasota. 366-3373. From four-hour to 18-hour trips.

Hart's Landing, 920 John Ringling Causeway, Sarasota. 955-0011. Bait, tackle, fishing equipment rentals.

Le Barge Tropical Cruises, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota. 366-6116. Daily sightseeing tours, sunset cruises; private charters available.

Midnite Son Charter Fishing, 349-7677. Sport fishing: half-day, full-day, overnight.

Siesta Key Marina, 1265 Old Stickney Point Road, Sarasota. 349-8880. Boat rentals.

Snook Haven Fish Camp, 5000 Venice Ave. E., Venice. 485-7221. Motorboats, canoes and tour-boat rides on the Myakka River.

Spindrift Yacht Services, 410 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. 383-7781. Sailboat, fishing and pleasure cruise charters.

Wolfmouth Charters, 4120 Gulf Drive, Longboat Key. 755-1632. Near-shore and offshore charter services, eco-tours.

CANOE AND KAYAK RENTALS

Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive & Kayak, 6018 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 922-9671. Canoe and kayak supplies, lessons and guided tours.

Island Style Wind and Watersports, 2433 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 954-1009. Kayak tours, wind- and kitesurfing lessons.

Silent Sports Outfitters, 2301 Tamiami Trail N., Nokomis. 966-5477. Ocean kayak specialists. Tours, sales and rentals.

Walk on the Wild Side. 351-6500. Eco-tours.

DIVING, SNORKELING

Dolphin Dive Center, 6018 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 924-2785. Sales and rentals.

Ocean Pro Dive Shop, 2259 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. 924-3483. Dive charters, instruction, dive trips. PADI five-star training facility.

Scuba Quest, 1129 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 366-1530; 2357 Tamiami Trail S., Venice. 497-5985; 3318 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. 745-2511. Charters, rentals, sales.

SURFING

West Coast Surf Shop, 3902 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. 778-1001. Boards, sportswear and more.

Windflight Surf Shop, 722 Albee Road W., Nokomis. 484-2794. Surfboards, wet suits, accessories.

FOOTBALL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, (813) 879-2827. The NFL’s Bucs play at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

Tampa Bay Storm, (813) 301-6600. Five-time Arena Football League champions play at the St. Pete Times Forum.

GOLF
Call for tee time availability.

Bird Bay Executive Golf Club, 602 Bird Bay Drive W., Venice. 485-9333. Eighteen-hole course, tennis courts. Public.

Bent Tree Country Club, 4700 Bent Tree Blvd., Sarasota. 371-5854. Eighteen-hole championship course. Private.