25 Highlights in 25 Weeks: Highlight #12 – Is Pelican Lakes Public or Private?

Pelican Lakes Resort & Golf turns 25 on July 12, 2024! To celebrate, we are listing the top 25 moments in Pelican Lakes’ history. These events are not ranked and highlight the biggest events, features, and happenings at the distinguished 27-hole facility in Northern Colorado.

Blog 12 out of 25: Is Pelican Lakes Private or Public?

Golf course pro shops receive a lot of questions, and Pelican Lakes Resort & Golf in Windsor, CO is no exception. Here are a few examples:

“Is it windy there today?”

“Do you have any tee times available from between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.?”

“Do you really have the most shoreline in North America?”

“Why does it look like through social media that the membership is always having the time of their lives?”

“Does Pepper, the goose-chasin’ dog, have the best job?”

And the answers to these questions are as follow:

• There’s a slight breeze out of the north.
• We do have tee times available within that 9-hour window you’re asking.
• Yes, Pelican Lakes has 7.5 miles of shoreline on its 18-hole course. Every hole, except #14, is bordered by either a man-made lake or the Cache la Poudre River.
• As everyone knows, social media doesn’t lie. The posts you see from either the club or from its members of people smiling, laughing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves while playing golf or hanging with friends are all real and genuine. As loyal member Mike Zapf has famously said, “Pelican Lakes is heaven on earth.”
• Pepper rarely complains, which indicates to us that she’s living her best life and wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

But the most frequent question we receive is a simple one: Is Pelican Lakes private or public?

The answer is also simple…it’s both! Pelican Lakes is a semi-private golf course.

The 27-hole golf course also features a practice facility, swimming pool, two restaurants, two indoor golf simulators, and various member perks. It also offers access to the public. In fact, every amenity offered to the membership is also offered to the public, except the swimming pool. The reason the swimming pool is members-only due to its size, and it offers the dues-paying member an intimate place to relax.

The misconception that Pelican Lakes is fully private is a concern management has been addressing for decades.  

“In 1999 when the course opened, it was called Pelican Lakes Golf & Country Club,” said Kurt Hinkle, The Water Valley Company Director of Golf. “The course has always been semi-private, meaning it offers memberships and public tee times, but the usage of the words ‘Country Club’ alienated people.

“That obviously was never our intent. Pelican Lakes was envisioned, built, and implemented with the public, and especially families, in mind. We want everyone to enjoy the facility, whether you’re a member, a weekend golfer, or a Windsor resident who only plays golf once a month. Pelican Lakes is for everyone.”

There you have it; Pelican Lakes is for everyone!

If you’ve never played our course, or it’s been awhile since we’ve seen your smiling face, please come on out and take us for a spin!

To book a tee time at our 18-hole Pelican Lakes course or our par 34, 9-hole Falls course, please call 970-674-0930.