Pelican Waters Golf Club

Magazine Ratings

What a great time to leave Sydney for the long weekend.  Weather has been terrible, to the extent where I could not play on my local course.  Off to the beautifully warm Sunshine Coast.  Only issue was the warm weather disappeared and it was damn cold and windy.

This was to be my first game on the trip (also in Queensland) so I was really excited.  I had rung the month before to ensure I could get a tee time, as I had originally planned to play Twin Waters the first day but a corporate event put an end to that.  I was told it was no problem I could get on without any hassle.   The course allows general public access outside of competition times.

Pelican Waters clubhouse

Club Pelican is located within a large residential area, which seemed to take forever to get to.  Finally arriving there is a large modern looking clubhouse which blends in with the area, housing and apartments.  Behind the clubhouse there is a substantially sized putting green, with a driving range within site.  The later also caters for bad weather.  Upon arrival I was a bit surprised that it would be a struggle to get on the course and would have to wait for at least an hour.  When the pro shop attendant finally acknowledged I was playing myself, I was given the opportunity to start if I could tee off straight away.  So much for getting the pace of the greens.

Scorecard for Pelican Waters Golf Club 

The first hole is a good way to start the course.  Not too long with a bit of area to land your drive.  But you can see that Greg Norman designed the course from the start, with a quite few bunkers appearing.  This was also the first course designed by Norman in his home state built in the millennium year.

1st Tee on the 338 meter par 4 

Club Pelican is built around some wetlands which blend in nicely with the course.  The second and third holes follow the water way with danger down the right hand side of both holes.  Some aquatic life became apparent on the 3^rd Par 5.  This really tests the person who is hitting shots to the right as the length of the hole has water.  One thing I noticed from the start was the fairways were firm with the ball running some distance.  There was also some undulations on the fairways, so it was not a dead flat track.  I finally got the pace of the greens by the 3^rd hole and was starting to sink some putts.  They were running very true and it was critical to land in the correct area of the green.

3rd Hole – 465 meter par 5

Hole 4, a medium par 3 is only one of three holes to not have water on the front nine.  But it was surrounded by bunkers.  You can land short and avoid sand, but this will be about the only place, besides being on the green where you won’t need your sand bucket.

The 4th hole – 160 meter par 3 

The 5^th par 4 was one of my favourite holes.  Water runs down the left and between the fairway and the green.  Four bunkers are located along the fairway so it is critical to avoid these, otherwise attacking the green on the second becomes a lot more difficult with water along the front.  The green has some big undulations making putting that much more difficult.

5th Tee on the 334 meter par 4

Approach to the 5th green

Also a great hole was the 155m par 3, 6^th .  Carry the water and avoid more bunkers.  Hitting to the correct part of the green is critical. The green has a two distinct halves, slopes from a ridge in the middle to the left or to the right.  This was definitely a visual hole which is one to remember.

6th Hole – Par 3

Another testing par 5 can be found on the 8th hole.  Playing over scrub to what appears to be a tight fairway is slightly intimidating.  The sight of fairway traps either side does not settle the nerves either.

View from the tee – 8th hole – Par 5 – 493m

Once you have reached the fairway the challenges do not disappear.  Water can be found all down the right side with the fairway gently sloping in the same direction.

Stay away from the right hand side on the 8th hole

The back nine holes were quite different.  Water only came into play on two holes (13 & 14), compared to five on the front.  Hole 11, 14, 16 and 18 were the standouts.

Hole 11, 160m par 3 was an intimidating tee shot.  A raised green with big undulation, with five large bunkers protecting the front is an incentive to hit the green on the first shot.

11th – par 3 tee shot

The 143m par 3, 14^th is a visually appealing hole.  Water running from the tee and all down the left along with a bunker separating the water and the green, make any tee shot to the left reducing any chance of par.  For those not confident in hitting the green, laying up to the right is a safe option.

View from the tee – 14th hole

Hole 16, a short par 5 at 460m, is relatively flat, but has trouble running down both sides of the fairway.  Any errant shot will find heavy bushland and the tall Melaleuca trees making par difficult.

Fairway veiw – Hole 16

Bunkers protect an elevated green which is quite a small target.  Trees also encompass the right side making which ensure any  long range approach shot to be very accurate.

Unusual site seeing trees within the bunker complex

The last hole is a superb finishing hole, also being the hardest on the course.  This par 4, at 393m is a dog leg left, with a split fairway.  Trees run the full length of the hole, so keep well clear of these. A fairway bunker on the left will stop most people trying to shorten the hole off the tee.  There is enough area on the right to still allow a slightly misdirected tee shot, but this will force a left to right approach shot as trees come into play.

18th fairway

The slightly elevated green has four bunker guarding the approach, two short of the green and two adjoining.  Hit the green and you should finish with a well-deserved par.

Raised 18th green surrounded by bunkers

Local wildlife on Pelican Waters Golf Course

The course routing seemed very natural and certainly had enough variety to you interested. I found the second nine to be not as memorable as the front.  The greens seem smaller and not in as good condition on a couple of the holes, I think partly due to these being surrounded by trees.  On my visit there were a few kangaroos found on the back 9 enjoying a feed on the grass.

View from the clubhouse bar

The club house is quite modern with a great bar overlooking the practice green and driving range.  Quite relaxing after your round, to sit back and reflect on what hopefully should have been a memorable day playing golf.  This is a course I would not hesitate to play again.

To play Pelican Waters Golf Club contact the Pro Shop.  The course is available for the public to access.