Pelican Golf Club Review (2026): The Old Belleview Biltmore Course, Rebuilt

The Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida has an odd origin for a club that now hosts an LPGA event. It started as the golf course beside the Belleview Biltmore hotel, and then it was bought, rebuilt and turned private.

My honest take on this Pelican Golf Club review comes with a disclosure. I have not played here, and the club is closed to the public. This is built from what the club publishes, what the tours have said, and what members and visiting players report.

The verdict, up front: the golf looks excellent, the pricing is a black box. The Florida golf club archive shows how it compares with clubs that do publish rates.

Pelican Golf Club: Fast Facts

What I Liked

• The Ross bones are still there. PGA Tour coverage says around 15 of the 18 holes follow the original routing, with Beau Welling rebuilding the course rather than starting over.
• The 12th is a proper signature hole. It is a short par 3 with the course’s one forced water carry, to a diagonal, Biarritz-style green. It was nicknamed the Lamborghini hole.
• The greens do the defending. The director of golf has said the size and movement of the greens are the course’s defense. Wide fairways keep the tee shots friendly.
• The conditioning is spoken about everywhere. Golf.com notes crushed-quartz bunker sand sourced from the same Arkansas supplier as Augusta National. Reviewers on GolfPass call the bunkers bright white.
• The event history is unusual for a private club. It hosted The Match in December 2022 and has been the home of an LPGA stop since 2020. The 2026 ANNIKA is listed for November 11 to 15 in the most recent release I found, so check the tournament site for ticket and course-access details.

What I Didn’t Like

• You cannot buy your way in. There is no public tee sheet, and membership is by sponsorship.
• No fee information. I found nothing official on initiation or dues. The one directory that offers figures calls them speculation, so I ignored it.
• Scorecard data is messy. Different aggregators list par 70 and par 71 and different back-tee yardages. Ask the club for its current card.
• The hurricane risk is real. Hurricane Milton flooded several holes in October 2024 and cost the club a number of large trees before it reopened about a week later.

Membership & Fees

Pelican does not publish its membership costs. The guest information page covers dress, pets and children, and says nothing about money. Do not trust any directory that quotes an initiation range. They are generic.

What is on the record is ownership. The club has been owned by the Doyle family since the 2017 purchase of the former Belleview Biltmore course, reported at $3.8 million by the PGA Tour. A family-owned club is a different deal from an equity club, and our guide to who you are really paying explains why that matters when you sign.

To judge any private-club offer when the numbers are hidden, start with our look at Which States Publish Golf Membership Prices and our walkthrough on how do you join a private golf club.

Facilities & Amenities

• Golf: one 18-hole course, Latitude 36 Bermuda fairways and TifEagle greens by most accounts.
• Practice: driving range, putting and chipping areas, and a golf school, per third-party listings (the club’s own pages I read do not describe them).
• Dining: The Albatross, The Bar at Albatross, The Vault and The Veranda are named on the club’s guest page.
• Other: golf shop, Pelican Fitness & SPA, and caddies (the club’s tipping rule names caddies). A pool is mentioned in some reviews but not on the club pages I read.
• Walking: allowed, and reviewers talk about walking with a caddie as part of the point.

The club asks that rounds finish in four hours or less, and bans cash tipping except for caddies and massage therapists.

Best Time to Visit

November through April is when Tampa Bay golf is most comfortable, with lower humidity and drier weather. That is also when members will use the club most.

Summer brings heat, humidity and afternoon storms, and hurricane season runs through November. The course reportedly drains quickly thanks to its sandy subsoil, which was noted after Hurricane Nicole in 2022. Nicole still cut that year’s LPGA event to 54 holes.

Dress Code & Etiquette

The club publishes a detailed code. Men need collared shirts and slacks or tucked-in golf shorts. Jeans and flip-flops are out. Women may wear dresses, skirts, slacks or golf shorts, and the club allows jeans other than blue denim, which cannot be ripped or frayed.

After 6 p.m. in The Albatross, The Bar at Albatross and The Vault, men need a jacket and full-length pants (ties are optional), a collared tucked shirt with a belt, and dress shoes. Phone calls are limited to locker rooms, private meeting rooms and vehicles.

Who Is This Club For?

This club is a good fit if you live in Pinellas County, want a walkable course, and can get sponsored. The golf looks built for repeat play rather than one-time bragging rights.

This club is a good fit if you care about conditioning and green complexes more than length. Pace and size of putting surfaces are the story here.

Skip this one if you are visiting Florida and want to play something famous. For an unusual South Florida contrast, read our Indian Creek Country Club review, or look at the more accessible Miami Beach Golf Club.

Skip this one if you want hard numbers before you apply.

People Also Ask: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pelican Golf Club private?

Yes. Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida is private, and guests must be accompanied by a member at all times. There is no public tee sheet. It is not related to Pelican Hill in California or the other Florida clubs with Pelican in the name.

Who owns Pelican Golf Club?

The Doyle family bought the former Belleview Biltmore golf course in 2017 and turned it into a private club, according to PGA Tour reporting. The price was reported at $3.8 million. Dan Doyle Sr. and Dan Doyle Jr. are named as owners in coverage of the purchase.

How much does it cost to join Pelican Golf Club?

The club does not publish initiation fees or dues, and I have not found a reliable figure. Some directories quote ranges, but the one directory that offers figures calls them speculation. Contact the club or a sponsoring member for current pricing. Membership is by sponsorship, with no public tee sheet.

Who designed Pelican Golf Club?

Donald Ross designed the original course beside the Belleview Biltmore hotel, reported as 1925 (the club says it was founded in 1923). Beau Welling led the redesign after the 2017 purchase, keeping about 15 of the 18 original holes on the Ross routing. The club says it was re-imagined in 2019; other sources give 2018.

What famous events were held at Pelican Golf Club?

Pelican hosted The Match on December 10, 2022, a 12-hole exhibition with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. It has also hosted an LPGA event since 2020, now called The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and listed for November 11 to 15, 2026.

When is the best time to play Pelican Golf Club?

November through April is the most comfortable window in Tampa Bay, with lower humidity and drier weather. That is also when members use the club most. Summers are hot, humid and storm-prone. Hurricane season runs June through November, and Hurricane Milton flooded several holes here in October 2024.

Verdict & Score

GCR Score: 4.6 / 5 – Highly Recommended

A restored Ross routing, big greens and a tour calendar earn this score. I held back some points because access is closed and the pricing is a secret, so I cannot judge value. The listed scorecard data also needs checking with the club.

If you can get in, the golf and the tour calendar make a strong membership case. If you cannot, how we score clubs explains how access and cost are weighted.

Last reviewed: October 11, 2026

Author Note

I did not play Pelican, so this review rests on published sources. Those include the club’s guest page, PGA Tour coverage of The Match and Golf.com.