Belleair Homes for Sale, Belleair FL

About Belleair

Belleair is a small incorporated town on the bluffs above Clearwater Harbor, just south of downtown Clearwater. Its golf history is older than almost anywhere else in the state. Belleair Country Club was established in 1897 and calls itself Florida's first golf course, and the town grew up around it and the historic Belleview hotel. Today Belleair is mostly detached homes on public, tree-lined streets, from 1920s cottages and mid-century ranches to large new custom builds on lots that have been rebuilt. Condo and townhome options sit closer to the water and along the edges of town. Many streets border one of the two Belleair Country Club courses, and homes on Golf View Drive, Poinsettia Road, and Hibiscus Road come up often in listings. A second private club, Pelican Golf Club, occupies the former Belleview Biltmore course land. Because it is a town rather than a single planned development, there is no master association covering everything. Rules come from the town itself, and some condo or townhome projects have their own associations. Ask about flood zones and elevation on lots near the harbor.

The golf at Belleair

Belleair Country Club has two 18-hole courses, both tied to Donald Ross. The West Course started as six holes in 1897, became 18 holes in 1909, and was redesigned by Ross in 1915 when he also added the East Course. He returned in 1924 to revise both. In 2020 the club hired Fry/Straka to restore the West Course to Ross's 1924 plan using records from the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst, and the result drew national attention. The club reports that Golfweek ranked the West Course among the top private courses in Florida and in its list of top 100 classic courses, and 17 of its 18 holes have views of Clearwater Bay. Belleair is private, with practice facilities and PGA instruction. Pelican Golf Club, a separate private club in town, plays on a course that GolfN credits to Donald Ross with a 1925 opening. Neither club is open for public tee times.

Is club membership required in Belleair?

Optional. Belleair is a town of individual homes on public streets, and both Belleair Country Club and Pelican Golf Club are private clubs with their own membership processes. Owning a home does not include club privileges.

Want the current HOA, CDD and club numbers for a specific home? Ask me and I will pull them from the listing and the association.

Living in Belleair: location and lifestyle

Belleair feels like an older Florida town. Downtown Clearwater and the Clearwater Memorial Causeway are about five minutes north, and Clearwater Beach is roughly 10 to 15 minutes away. Belleair Bluffs, just south, has grocery stores, restaurants, and small shops along West Bay Drive. The Belleair Causeway connects to Belleair Beach and Sand Key Park, one of the county's better beaches. The Pinellas Trail passes right by the town for biking toward Dunedin or Largo. Tampa International Airport is about 30 minutes east in light traffic using the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Inside Belleair, residents walk and bike on quiet streets with mature oaks, and the town maintains parks and a recreation center. Golfers who live along the West Course get bay views on their evening walks, and the club's dining room and spa give members a social base a few blocks from home.