The Club at Pelican Preserve

The Club at Pelican Preserve's Heron course is a Chip Powell design located in Fort Myers, Florida, part of a larger residential community in Southwest Florida. Powell, known for his work throughout Florida and the southeastern United States, created this course as one of two layouts within the Pelican Preserve development, which sits inland from the Gulf Coast in Lee County. The course reflects the characteristic features of Southwest Florida golf: relatively flat terrain shaped by native wetlands, lakes, and preserved areas that provide both strategic interest and wildlife habitat. The routing incorporates the region's natural landscape, with water features coming into play on multiple holes and native vegetation framing fairways. The design emphasizes playability for a range of skill levels while maintaining enough challenge for accomplished players, a common approach in Florida's residential golf communities. As part of a private club within a larger residential community, the Heron course serves members who often split time between Florida and northern residences. The club offers the amenities typical of Southwest Florida golf communities, including dining facilities and social programming that complement the golf experience. The course benefits from year-round growing conditions that allow for consistent maintenance of bermudagrass playing surfaces, though summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms are seasonal considerations for course conditions and play.