Stepping Back into the Past: The Lido at Sand Valley Offers a Golfing Journey Through History
Revamped Tale:
Step foot onto the Sand Valley Resort in Rome, Wisconsin and be greeted by colossal sand towers, surrounded by a sea of thin pine trees. This badass paradise is the brainchild of the Keiser clan, situated on land that once played host to farmed pines, vital to the local economy and responsible for a tidal wave of pulp.
With golf booming and pine prices plummeting, this sandy expanse was up for grabs. And seize it they did, creating Sand Valley Resort, a haven for golf enthusiasts boasting four 18-hole courses – Sand Valley, The Lido, Mammoth Dunes, and Sedge Valley, plus a 17-hole short course named The Sandbox. Future additions to the portfolio include a 12-hole course called The Commons, a new driving range, another undisclosed alternate-shot course, and a match-play course.
"There's enough land here to build nine courses," says Dream Golf's VP of Media and Communications, Tom Ferrell, giving us a glimpse of the resort's grand ambitions.
The resort's melange of personalities encompasses public and private golf, disparate topographies, contrasting design philosophies, and a smorgasbord of dining options. Soaking up the spotlight is The Lido – the pride and joy of nostalgic golf aficionados.
Modeled after the 1917 Lido Golf Club in Long Beach, New York, The Lido pays homage to a bygone era, using original sketches, photographs, aerials, and digital renderings to resurrect a long-lost design. Founded by Charles Blair Macdonald, engineered by Seth Raynor, and boasting design input from Alister MacKenzie, the original Lido was considered one of the best courses of its time.
The Lido sprawls across a flat piece of land near the resort entrance, elevating no more than 50 feet above the clubhouse. Bitter enemies to golfers? The bunkers, mounds, and aiming rocks that command attention. At The Lido, the player's eyes never waver far from the ground.
The first hole sets the tone: a seemingly generous fairway hides Sauron's Eye-size bunkers, and the green, while sloping, is a cakewalk compared to upcoming challenges. Beware the second tee, where an aiming rock deceives you into an hazardous fall. Don't be blindsided – the correct line is over the rock, avoiding the direct path to the pin.
Walter Hagen, the legendary golfer, called The Lido "the greatest test in the world, with the possible exception of Pine Valley" in 1921. He even ranked it among his personal "big three," alongside National Golf Links and Pine Valley.
The Punchbowl is The Lido's pièce de résistance. The tee shot follows a cape-style layout, with a diagonal pond guarding the fairway from left to right. Steer right for a thrilling adventure, but be prepared to face the adversity of a grueling carry. The fairway will gladly assist in steering your ball towards the green, which sits dramatically high above the landscape. The massive bowl, with steep sides and deep bunkers at its front, resembles an astronomical phenomenon more than a traditional punchbowl. From a distance, the hole appears to be a cataclysm in the making.
The Lido exudes a serious, reverent vibe. Caddies are mandatory for non-members to ensure a smooth pace of play, decipher aiming points, and tackle the severely sloped greens. Booze won't be found here – nope, not even on tap. In an environmentally-friendly move and to evoke memories of the past, The Lido bans plastic water bottles, instead offering aluminum bottles to be refilled from hand-cranked well water pumps.
Mother Nature's calm whispers replace the usual cacophony of modern golf thanks to the Lido's wind-swept terrain. The course encourages revelers to embrace contemplation and celebrate the spirit of sandbanks nestled in central Wisconsin.
Senator William H. Reynolds once built a grand hotel overlooking the original Lido Golf Club, a playground for socialites, industrialists, and politicians. Wisconsin's Lido, however, has opted for minimalism, boasting a petite clubhouse showcasing Lido merchandise, a cozy café, and a hickory club workshop. A large number of members marvel in the golf history by swinging vintage sets of hickory clubs, harkening back to the 1920s.
Unlike the rest of the resort, The Lido is a broody, intoxicating cocktail of flat terrain, intense bunkering, and a more conservative atmosphere. As one of the starters mused, "The Lido plays 10 strokes harder than the other courses, and you'll never forget a single shot."
- The Lido, with its history rooted in the 1917 Lido Golf Club in Long Beach, New York, brings the essence of a bygone era to the Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin, offering a challenge reminiscent of Pine Valley for golf enthusiasts.
- Following in the footsteps of the original Lido, golfers at The Lido in Sand Valley Resort encounter a serious, reverent atmosphere, which includes mandatory caddies, a ban on plastic water bottles, and an emphasis on embracing contemplation and the spirit of the central Wisconsin sandbanks.
