Pelican Sound Golf Club

Pelican Sound Golf Club's River/Lakes course is located in Estero, Florida, a community in the greater Fort Myers area along the state's Gulf Coast. The course was designed by Chip Powell and Mike Hill, architects who worked on several Florida residential golf developments during the 1990s and early 2000s. The layout serves a private country club community and reflects the design priorities common to Southwest Florida golf: managing water features, accommodating relatively flat terrain, and integrating housing. The course name indicates the presence of both river corridors and interior lakes, typical of this region where tidal creeks and wetlands shape routing possibilities. Southwest Florida courses generally feature Bermuda or Paspalum turf suited to the subtropical climate, with play possible year-round. Designers working in this environment typically emphasize strategic water placement, waste bunkers or native areas, and wind exposure on more open holes. Pelican Sound operates as a private club with amenities standard to upscale Southwest Florida communities, including dining facilities and social programming oriented toward seasonal and year-round residents. The River/Lakes course is part of a larger club property that has included multiple courses or nines over its development history. The layout serves members seeking accessible golf in a maintained residential setting, characteristic of the numerous country club communities that define golf in the Estero and Bonita Springs corridor.