The Shortest Way Into The ANNIKA Starts in a Belleair Driveway

Where do thousands of golf fans leave their cars when the LPGA's second-to-last event of 2026 comes to Pelican Golf Club? Not in Belleair. The tournament has put all of its general parking in Largo and runs shuttles from there to the gate. That makes the walk, the bike ride and the short drop-off the quickest ways in, and those belong to the people who already live nearby.

The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican starts with the Pro-Am on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Championship rounds run Thursday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 15. The LPGA's own announcement gives the whole tournament week as Nov. 9 to 15. That week includes the Women's Leadership Summit at Pelican Golf Club on Tuesday, Nov. 10. From Thursday, Oct. 22, the Pro-Am is 20 days away.

The Crowd Comes in by Shuttle From Largo

The tournament's ticket and parking page is clear about it: there is no general admission parking on site at Pelican Golf Club. Fans buy parking ahead of time, $10 a day or $35 for the week plus tax and fees, and ride a free shuttle to the main entrance. The lots change partway through the week:

• Wednesday, Nov. 11 through Friday, Nov. 13: Grace Family Church, 1199 E Bay Drive, Largo. Shuttles run 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15: Largo High School, 410 Missouri Ave N, Largo. Shuttles run 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For a fan driving in from across the bay, Wednesday through Friday start with a parking lot on East Bay Drive and a shuttle ride. Most of the general-admission traffic for an event with a $3.25 million purse gets sent to Largo and then brought to Pelican in shuttles.

That doesn't keep the week off Belleair's streets entirely. Last year the Town posted a traffic advisory. Poinsettia Road closed between Indian Rocks Road and Hibiscus Road starting Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, several days before play began, and was expected to reopen soon after the tournament ended. Residents were told to expect delays around Pelican Golf Club all week. The Town has not posted a 2026 version yet. So far, last year's advisory is the best guide to which blocks to plan around. The Town also said it handles permitting, public safety and communications for the event, but the tournament is not a Town-sponsored event. Updates during the week will come from both sources.

The Side Door Is on Golf View Drive

Spectators without a parking pass have two other ways in, and both suit Belleair residents better than they suit anyone else.

The first is a bicycle. The tournament says Pelican sits right next to the Pinellas Trail, the 48-mile paved path that runs from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg. Free bike racks are on Golf View Drive, about a hundred yards from the main entrance. If you can reach the trail from your house, you can skip the Largo lot and the shuttle entirely.

The second is a short car ride. The tournament asks Uber and Lyft drivers to use 621 Poinsettia Rd., Belleair, FL 33756, and has marked pickup and drop-off spots just outside the main gate. A neighbor dropping you off counts the same way. For a household in the Town, the trip can be shorter than the walk from some of the parking lots at a typical stadium.

What the Week Costs, and What It Doesn't

Belleair residents can also see a good share of the tournament without buying a ticket. The tournament lists two fan areas that are free to the public on its spectator information page.

Club 59 is on the driving range. It's named for Annika Sörenstam, the only LPGA professional to shoot a 59. It has a refreshment stand with local flavors from the Belleair Market, lounge seating and a big video board showing the live TV coverage.

Pelican Village looks out over the course's signature par-3 12th hole. It has concessions, vendors and a putt-putt area for kids.

For time inside the ropes, here is how the 2026 ticket prices lay out across the week:

The weekly pass costs $65 less than buying all five days one at a time. A few groups pay nothing at all. Children 17 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. In September, organizers said all military personnel, including active, reserve, retired and veterans, along with all first responders, get free admission for themselves and one guest. Military guests can also use the Hero Outpost presented by FedData, a hospitality area that overlooks the same par-3 12th green. The Pro-Am falls on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, and tournament director Ryan Dever told the LPGA that organizers want to honor veterans and first responders "on Veterans Day and throughout tournament week."

If you have young golfers at home, Saturday is the day to pick. The Junior Golf Show featuring Annika, presented by AdventHealth, runs from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, on the Pelican driving range. Sörenstam talks about life on tour, answers questions, signs autographs and watches swing demonstrations alongside the kids. It's included with Saturday admission. Autograph Alley, beside the 18th green, is open to fans of all ages throughout tournament play.

Who Will Be Walking Past the 12th Green

For a tournament this young, the field is unusually strong. It started in 2020 as the Pelican Women's Championship and took its current name in 2023, when Sörenstam and title sponsor Gainbridge were added. Ticket proceeds go to the ANNIKA Foundation.

The big story this year is about history. World No. 1 Nelly Korda has already won at Pelican three times. A fourth win would make her the first four-time winner of any single LPGA Tour event since Sörenstam did it in 2005, according to the LPGA's September 18 commitment announcement. She would be doing it at the tournament named for Sörenstam, on a course just down Poinsettia Road from your front door.

These players have also committed:

1. Linn Grant, the defending champion. She won last November at 19-under par, three strokes clear of the field and one shot short of the tournament record. It was the second time she received a trophy from Sörenstam.
2. Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson, both major champions.
3. Melanie Green, a Tampa Bay player, former USF All-American and the 2025 Epson Tour Player of the Year. This will be her first ANNIKA.
4. Macy Pate, a Wake Forest senior. She earned a sponsor invitation after Wake Forest won the 2026 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M.

Timing helps draw a field like this. The 2026 LPGA schedule puts The ANNIKA the week right before the CME Group Tour Championship, which runs Nov. 19–22. Players who come to Belleair are getting their final competitive rounds in before the season finale.

After the Last Putt, Across Indian Rocks Road

When play ends and the shuttles head back to Largo, the nearest place to eat and drink is the Belleair Bluffs Plaza at West Bay Drive and Indian Rocks Road. This is its first tournament week with the corner filled back in.

Tavern in the Bluffs held a friends-and-family soft opening on July 24 at 2890 W. Bay Drive. That storefront had been empty since Cody's Roadhouse closed in March 2024. The Tampa Bay Beacons reported that the Pappas family, who also own the Backwaters restaurants in Sand Key and North Redington Beach, took 854 days to get from concept to opening. The house margarita, called the 854 Margarita, is named for the wait. The Beacons also reported that in June 2025, the Belleair Bluffs City Commission gave the bar an extra hour on weeknights and two more hours on weekends so it could show NFL games and other late sporting events. The Sunday final round ends with an awards ceremony on the 18th green after play, which leaves the evening open for football at the Tavern.

For an earlier start before Thursday's first round, Le Merle Coffee Bar and Bakery is nearby in the Bluffs. It has new owners, and in its June report the Beacons said it held a grand reopening in mid-May.

West Bay Drive also has a bigger change coming. Belleair Bluffs gave final approval on Sept. 14 to a 100-room hotel on West Bay Drive. The Beacons reported that the developer hopes to start construction this fall or winter and open in early 2028. For now, visitors still come in each morning by shuttle from Largo and leave the same way each evening. People who live in Belleair can just walk home.

If ANNIKA week has you thinking about how life in Belleair works on every other week of the year, Natalie Scott and our team are glad to talk through the streets around Pelican, the walk to the Pinellas Trail and what living this close to the course is like day to day.