NEKOOSA (Wisconsin) – The opening of one of the most anticipated golf courses in recent years was not born from a vision of a golf architect or a financial plan of a developer. The project began with a videogame created by a Chicago financial consultant who is also a golf historian.
Peter Flory, @nle_golf, a handle that stands for no longer-existing golf courses, has never built a course. But he’s played a lot of them. His list is long enough to make a travel writer who writes about golf greens envious.
He also dreams of playing courses that were historically significant but have been abandoned, lost, or redeveloped over the years. Flory, who is one of the top hickory players in the United States, collects and uses a large collection of antique clubs to understand how the classic courses were played during the time they were built.
The Lido was designed by Golden Age architects C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor and Long Island, New York opened their course in 1914. The U.S. Navy plowed the course under during World War II, which was said to be among the world’s best and toughest courses at the time. The Lido included an 18 th inspired by Alister Mackenzie’s submission in a course design contest. It also featured many classic template holes, such as the Redan and Biarritz, that are still used today.
Peter Flory’s dream course has been brought to life. He makes his first birdie on the 11th hole, a difficult hole. @golfweek pic.twitter.com/Jc2K7sl2W6
— Jason Lusk 9 September 2022
Flory spent a lot of time researching the Lido, finding photos and historical accounts that gave him a better understanding not only of how it was constructed, but also how it worked. He wanted to recreate the course as a videogame for his children and friends.
He never imagined that it would be a real golf course again. Flory’s efforts have led to a new Lido opening at Sand Valley, Wisconsin, this year. The new Lido was built by Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design company. It is an exact replica of the original Lido on Long Island. The new Lido has been designed to be as similar to the original on Long Island as possible.
How close is it? Flory said that it was “maybe even better” when asked if the course is accurate to an inch. Flory and Doak used digital tools not available at the time the original course was designed to recreate every hump and hollow, bunker edge, and green slope.
The project was made possible by the interest of golf architects, such as Sand Valley developers Michael Keiser Jr., and Chris Keiser. They were the brothers who approved the project. The Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes courses were already operating at the resort , but the developers wanted to come up with a new idea for the adjacent parcel.
The video game, research and financial investment will result in limited resort play on June 28. Lido is a mostly private club. However, resort guests will have access to tee time on certain dates and times. For more information, contact at the resort.
Flory, who is now a panelist for Golfweek’s course-rating program and an ambassador of the program, shares her insights in the Q&A.
