Hi Andy!
That's what I did: An Intex donut for 3 seasons followed by a bigger, permanent installation.
There seems to be two ways to do a partial in-ground. One is to bury a bit an above ground. Many people do this but I think it's risky because AG pools aren't designed for IG use.
The other is many IG pools are a steel frame totally capable of being self-supporting and don't NEED to be inground. These work much better. My next-door neighbor has that kind of installation because it's on a bit of a hill and he has a very high deck around it. So much is AG, but below the deck.