Usa | Par 72 | 6990 Yards
Tom Doak (Original: C.B. MacDonald)
The legendary original Lido Golf Club (1917) was a Charles Blair MacDonald masterpiece that he built on Long Island, New York. It was considered The Atlantis of its day, and was recreated and meticulously rebuilt by the Keiser Family and Tom Doak. It opened in 2023 at Sand Valley Golf Resort, in Nekoosa, Wisconsin.
It features replicas of famous template holes including an Eden, Channel, Cape, Ocean, Alps, Short, Long and Redan with many Biarritz-type greens. The original, a C.B. MacDonald labor of love was considered golf’s “Atlantis” before being acquired and demolished by the U.S. Navy in World War II.
This resurrection used hyper-precise GPS technology to recreate the original undulations and shot-values. The team included Tom Doak and Peter Flory and Brian Zager. Brian Schneider was Tom Doak’s lead on-site. Flory very meticulously re-created The Lido using an online video game software called The Golf Club. Flory used old photos, an anaglyph, and other source material to Then, in came Brian Zager who turned Flory’s video game model of The Lido into a GPS topographical blueprint, which was used to re-shape Lido through GPS bulldozers down to the inch of Flory’s 3D video game model.
They basically replicated the original undulations, bunker depths and shot-values. They included minor changes to help with drainage and added space between a couple holes to add safety (the original Lido was a very tight track, with many close and parallel fairways, thus generating a good amount of opportunities to get hit by wayward shots. They also “modernized” The Lido by adding on upwards of 400 yards of length to accommodate modern technology advances to the ball and clubs. The Lido today is pretty-much identical to C.B. Macdonald’s Lido on Long Island of the 1920’s.
Golfers have talked about the original Lido ever since the U.S. Navy demolished it during World War II. Years ago, the Keiser family hoped to recreate it at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, but the plan never came together. Instead, that effort became Old Macdonald, designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina. Fast forward to 2023 and a plot of land on the north side of the Keiser family’s Sand Valley in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Millions of years ago, these sandy dunes lay beneath shallow inland seas and were later shaped by the last Ice Age, roughly 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. The result is ideal ground for links-like golf—missing only the North Sea or the Atlantic.
This modern recreation of The Lido Golf Club almost instantly gained a spot in the World’s top-50 rated courses, and that is well deserved.
Course Review:
I made my reservation at Sand Valley late, and on a whim, only 4 months prior to my mid-May excursion. I was able to secure tee times at Sand & Sedge Valley, Mammoth Dunes and the Sandbox. My main target though was The Lido. Of course it was completely booked for that week, and most weeks after, for that matter.
“We’ve got you on the wait-list for that Wednesday and will let you know if anything opens-up,” said the friendly Sand Valley assistant.
It was mid-week, in early April, and I was on my home course when the incoming email beeped on my phone--thank goodness I looked. A tee-time for a single on Wednesday morning of my trip had come available. I was the first one to respond and as a big smile came over my face, and a chill cascaded down my spine as they responded, “Confirmed: Old Tam Atkins, Single, The Lido, 10:40a.m. May 20th.
Right out of the gates, I must lead into this review by saying that The Lido is the real deal! It is a masterful recreation of C.B. MacDonald’s passion project on Long Island that opened in 1917.
As I approached the course—across the street, just North of the main Sand Valley property--the dunes and blow-outs gave-way to a huge flat expanse, and what would become a perfect canvass for the new Lido and its many template holes.
From 200 yards away in the parking lot, the property looks primarily flat, almost like a Moonscape, if that is possible. No trees on the course, only along the rim of the property in the distance.
The land that Doak and Brian Schneider had to deal with was perfect. It was dunes-like with sandy soil, easily enabling fine fescue grass fairways, fescue and native sandy grassland rough, and of course, bentgrass greens. Similar to Long Island as well as Scotland! The Lido is unique in so many ways. The Rolex old-school clock keeping watch over the practice green and 1st tee (like Carnoustie, the Old Course, Muirfield, and the Royals Troon, Portrush and Liverpool). The fence lining the walkway to the pro-shop, complete with old persimmon driver and three-wood heads from a bygone era. Sans driving range, but rather two practice nets, a la Scotland and Ireland. The Home hole 18th finishing some 400 yards away from the clubhouse.
Combine all those with the pre-game chit chat of the caddies, a speech-turned pep talk by the starter and the building hum and anticipation in the air and I knew that I was about to experience something special.
It is this very feeling that is part of playing a World top-ranked golf course. The ambiance, history, and most importantly the little tinge of nervousness on the first tee, combined with a shiver down your spine as you hit your first tee ball.
I had that same feeling when I played other top-ten World ranked courses: Pine Valley, Royal County Down, National, Shinnecock, Sand Hills (for different reasons), Prestwick, Royal Troon, Royal Dornoch, and Ballybunion—that overwhelming feeling of “I am about to experience something very, very special.” Followed up a couple of hours later by “I could play this course every single day the rest of my life and die a happy man!”
As I have done previously on other course reviews, a la Gil Hanse’s comments printed on the tees included in your welcome bag at Castle Stuart, my thoughts on The Lido:
Those are all self-explanatory, need I say more?
We were off, on a 4 hour and 15-minute toboggan-ride through dunes, humps/bumps, rumples, coffins and quarries, and over and through buried Volkswagen Vans. If the greens at Machrihanish Dunes look like Salvador Dali on Acid, then The Lido’s greens are an absinthe-soaked bender of a weekend with C.B. MacDonald, Stanford White and Timothy Leary--Gatsby’s house in the Hamptons—circa 1920.
My favorite stretches of holes were 2-4, 6-8, 10-12 and 15 through 17. That said, the greatest thing about this recreation of The Lido is the number of template holes it has, just like the original by C.B. MacDonald. Where in the World can you find reeditions of famous templets like the Plateau, Eden, Channel, Cape, Ocean, Leven, Alps, Short, Redan, Long and Home all on one course?!!
Are you kidding me? Oh, and by the way, do not forget the 14th, Punch Bowl-which really is not a template when you think about it, more of a strategy. Oh my, this is the toughest punch bowl I have every played--14th at Cruden Bay, the 4th at Dunaverty, or the 5th at Machrihanish G.C. cannot hold a candle to this one!
The first hole, aptly named, First, is indeed a nice hand-shake and sets the tone as to what you should expect over the next four hours. A very rumpled fairway, sixteen (yes sixteen) deceptive bunkers, and a feeling of being dropped by parachute into this wonderful, other-worldly landscape—in the middle of Wisconsin. Strap in, and focus. I set the tone for my day by sinking a 20’ putt for bogey…. yikes!
The 2nd hole is absolutely wonderful, and I say that having made a double! It is called Plateau, and not only has a blind tee shot to an elevated fairway, but also a Principal’s Nose bunker, a la The Old Course #16, that gives you your first test/choice, tee shot left or right of it? With thirteen total bunkers and a huge double plateaued green it is at this very moment that it sank in.
“Wow…this is unique, and incredible!”
The 3rd, Eden, a 145–170-yard par-3 holds a special place in my heart, as I rang-the-bell with a nice 25’ birdie putt, snaking right to left. It is like its predecessor, the Eden 11th at The Old Course (not that I have played it yet) complete with water over the green—emulating the river Eden, and guarded front and left by the Hill, Strath and Cockleshell bunkers. It had one of the most severe back to front sloped greens (along with #8-Ocean) and my playing partners did not fair quite as well.
The 4th, Channel, was the first of three par-5’s on the front. Doak did a wonderful job on this one. It is said that it was the most revered hole back in the day of the original Lido. Two options of the tee, play safe left, as I did, or take the direct route straight, with a 240 carry. Only one single, very large, intimidating deep bunker, running the entire width of the fairway and guarding the front green. Just daring you to go for it! No bump ‘n runs here!.
Holes six through eight include two fun par fives, Dog’s Leg, and Hogs Back, and the long par-3, Ocean, featuring a sea of wavy sand and fescue—imitating the Atlantic Ocean on the original--a crazy, wicked Biarritz green complex, and a very, very steep drop off left of the green.
Our foursome faired pretty well on #7, Hog’s Back, a short par-five. Two of my playing partners were just short of the green in two and both elected to follow the motto “Putter = Friend” as the sign stated on Sand Valley. Aaron knocked his in for eagle from what had to be 175 to 200 feet. Then following suit to my right, Josh jarred a 140-footer for birdie. Now the pressure was on me as my caddie stated: “just outside right, you have made everything else today, knock it in.” I held-up my end of the bargain.
Josh would later get his eagle as he rang the bell from 80-yards out, jarring a 60-degree wedge on the par-5 17th, Long.
There are so many great, memorable holes at The Lido, but my favorite is the par-4 10th, Alps. This is a recreation of the hole that Old Tom designed, which is #17 at Prestwick. That is the oldest surviving intact hole in the Open Rota, and the original includes the Sahara bunker which fronts the green, at the bottom of the huge dune which the golfer hits a blind-shot over on the approach.
This version is a Doak masterpiece. The dune/hill in this case is the most distinctive feature on the course, and whereas it is only twenty-some feet high, it looks gigantic from the primarily flat landscape of the course. Its blocks the entire view of the green. Unless you play your tee shot right to the 1st fairway, you will have to deal with it. He was nice enough to give you a patch of fairway at the crest of the hill down to the green, but you are still unable to run your ball up as you will have to deal with two strip bunkers. The green slopes back to front which has a rear punchbowl rim. A wonderfully fun hole to play. If you play your tee shot between the two bunkers (out of the 15 total) down the right side of the fairway, you will have a beautiful view to the right portion of the green.
The twelfth hole, Punchbowl,at 412 yards from the white tees is a well-designed, brutal yet beautiful hole. There are a handful of demanding holes at Lido, but none more than this one. A sharp dogleg right around the water coming off the Channel Hole, played to a green on the other side of four bunkers at least 10+ feet above the fairway. This hole is designed such that you must hit a great drive to the left side. Then, another great approach shot which is uphill and has to carry the bunkers to make it down into the bowl, with no guarantee of a two-putt. No wonder it is the #2 handicap hole, with only the 4th Channel, the par-5 being more difficult.
Strategy, the 15th hole, was Tom Simpson’s entry for the Country Life Magazine contest but unlike Alistair Mackenzie's (#18 at this Lido recreation), Simpson removed his entry from the competition because Herbert Fowler, his design partner, was a judge.
Strategy is a ~385-yard par four which features six bunkers to avoid off the tee and a centralized natural area. It is really a split fairway that is broken into two portions (long and short) with two direct lines (left and right). Every golfer eventually has to carry a bunker. To say that the fairway (s) are rumpled would be a massive understatement.
Standing on the tee on the 16th hole, a diabolical version of the par-3 Redan at North Berwick, I was absolutely terrified! It is easily the most difficult of any Redan template hole I have played. The usual left bunker is menacing, deep and much longer that other replicas. I remember my Caddie telling me that I absolutely can not bail out right, as it is huge drop-off, and jail as he put it. I hit a good 5-iron, it just caught the edge and tumbled into the left frontal bunker that is deeper and longer than most Redans and absolutely sinister! Then there is the 45-degree pitch of the green with less help from kick-slope front right, which is smaller than usual. A couple decent, but short sand shots later I made it out. I wish I could master a good draw shot! I can not wait to get my revenge on this hole.
The seventeenth, called Long, is a fantastic par 5, based upon #14 at The Old Course. It played at 535-yards from the white/green tees and stretches over 600 yards from the tips. I stopped counting the bunkers early on in the round, but it topped out at 23, plus three large waste areas lining the fairway. It was a fun hole to play, and I managed to find a fairway bunker on the way in, which I blasted over the green and avoided three of the rear bunkers. I would hit my best 25-yard wedge/chip of the day to knock-in distance. It has a homage to the Hell bunker which comes into play on your second shot. The icing on the cake is the false front which seemed like it ended 50-feet into the green. Smile and enjoy!
As they say, all great rounds must end. Number 18, Home, was the Alistair MacKenzie winner from the Country Life Magazine contest that I mentioned earlier. A wonderful par-4, and great finishing hole with multiple fairway angles of attack, and strategies, and a massive green with formidable undulations or “a few buried Volkswagen Vans” as I like to say. It is one of the coolest par-4th I have ever played, and I hope to see it replicated by other designers.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the most unique features of the Lido is that they Eighteenth green, is located close to the 9th tee. It gives you another 400 yards to soak in your round as you walk to the clubhouse.
I had many emotions during that walk back to the clubhouse. I was hard-pressed to pick my favorites between the wonderful set of template par-3’s, or the four par-5’s. I felt elated that I had 27 putts totaling over 125-feet. At the same time, I felt mentally exhausted from the battle. But most of all, I could not wait to go back and do battle once again.
Lastly, it reaffirmed the statement that my playing partner at Sedge Valley, and member of The Lido Tony had said.
“The Scots come over and play The Lido and think that it is the closest you will ever come to a Scottish links course of anywhere here in America.”
He is absolutely correct. The only thing missing with this version of The Lido is the ocean.
Course Rating:
A resounding Albatross. Get there as soon as you can! This course combines history/template holes with modern technology to recreate The Lido, a links masterpiece in the USA in the middle of Wisconsin, It is a must-play for every lover of the golf game. Bring your A-game and be ready to make some putts.
9th Hole, with the beautiful hickory stick pins
Old School Clock overlooking the 1st tee
Plateau--The plateaued, Double Fairway #2
#12. Punchbowl
Strategy, #15
Strategy, #15
Old School Fence lining the walkway to the clubhouse
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