Hello Friends (*Jim Nantz Voice*)

It's Masters Week! In honor of this week at Augusta, I thought we'd profile another world class golf course: the 'lost' Lido Golf Club. I spoke with Pete Flory, an amateur golf historian who, through his love of golf, began digitally rendering famous golf courses a few years ago. As Pete spent more and more time on his hobby, he decided to take on a major challenge. He was going to render the world famous Lido. For those who aren't familiar, the Lido is regarded by countless golf historians to be the greatest golf course of all time. The Course, located on Long Island, was designed by the legendary architect C.B. McDonald. Unfortunately for the Lido, as the World War II war effort became a priority in America, the Navy needed to use the land as a base, and the course was destroyed.

Through conversations with other golf architecture lovers on golf architecture message board Golf Club Atlas, Pete was able to piece together an accurate rendering of the original club. And after countless hours of detective work, Pete finished the design. It was through his postings on the message board that Pete came into contact with Tom Doak. Doak asked Pete if he could assist in Tom's latest project: reviving the Lido with the Keiser Brothers at a site in Sand Valley, WI. The Course is set to open in 2023, and Pete has been instrumental in Doak's visualization of the course.

Pete's interest in the history of golf and course architecture piqued his interest in how the game was played many decades ago, which led Pete to  his other hobby, hickory golf. Pete told me about what makes hickory golf so difficult. Through our conversation, I gained an appreciation for modern golf equipment. Pete is going to play the Lido when it opens in 2023 with hickory clubs from the original Lido Club that he tracked down.

The audio on this episode got a bit spotty in patches, but bear with it. The episode is a great listen!