East at Belleair Country Club

Belleair Country Club's East Course bears the mark of Donald Ross, a testament to an era when golf course design prioritized strategic challenge over brute length. Woven through the rolling terrain of Belleair, Florida, this classic parkland layout presents subtle elevation changes and demands clever shot-making into receptive greens. Fairways, while seemingly generous, subtly punish wayward drives with strategically placed bunkers and mature trees that frame each hole.

Ross's genius is evident in the routing, which uses natural contours to create doglegs and intriguing angles. Greenside bunkering, a Ross hallmark, tests players' short-game skills. Although the East Course has never hosted a major championship, it's a respected test that reflects the era's more democratic approach to golf: strategic over penal.

Beyond the golf, the atmosphere at Belleair is old-school Florida charm. Many members are descendants of the club's earliest founders, giving it a feel that’s less a country club and more a multigenerational family estate. A favorite anecdote involves a former club president who, upon winning a local tournament, reportedly celebrated by driving his convertible directly onto the 18th green.