Thanks for finding and posting all of this info Sven, and for leading the discussion. A few quotes from the early articles stood out to me:
“One will always see however that it is the creation of man and not the creation of Nature, for it has, as most holes on this course have, the technical design of an architect rather than the inimitable design of nature.” - CB Mac
“This plan was all worked out in a plasticine model by Charles B. Macdonald who has done more for golf in this country than any other man, and, who may justly be called the pioneer of golf course construction on scientific lines.” P Lees
“But if (nature) were animate and could speak, she would have to admit that the hand of man has fashioned a golfing ground better than any she has had to offer and upon this eighteen holes have been laid out that could not be improved upon.” - P Lees
It is difficult, if not impossible, in retrospect so separate the hype from the fact. This was a time in history that was driven by hype and hubris. When the reckoning came, I don't think it was as logical and tidy as John K's analysis would seem to indicate. It was a big old mess, as comeuppance often is.
Understanding why it failed is not what's interesting to me in considering the potential resurrection of The Lido. What interests me is how some daring architect might deal with the challenges:
* This kind of man-over-nature architecture seems to me to be no longer en vogue. Is the spirit in the quotes above going to be a part of the new project, or do we just chalk that up to "Charley being Charley" and move on?
* If Lido was built in the "ideal course" mold, how does that get translated into the present? Are the same strategies, features, and hole types still considered "ideal" today, or has the game evolved beyond them to some extent?
* Where on the spectrum between "inspired by" and "reproduction of" the Lido will the new course fall? Where does it have to fall on that spectrum in order to appropriately bear the name?
To me, it doesn't matter in the end what went wrong. The course is gone, none of us played the original, and the rest is just fun coffee-house talk. What I think is incredibly intriguing, is the idea of sitting down and trying to decide what was right about, and therefore ought to be carried forward. And then, even more, how to impose what was right about it on a piece of ground, in Central FL, or wherever.
Whether you believe the course was a great challenge or not, creating a modern-day Lido would most certainly be a great challenge.