After the Lido...What is the next best lost course in North America?

[Mark Pritchett]

Links Club would be pretty cool

[Richard DeMenna]

Links Club would be pretty cool

If that happens I will be happy to provide consultation!  I caddied there from the mid-sixties to the early eighties.

[Tommy Naccarato]

The Lido is the only one that I can think of where building it in another location made sense- because it was originally built upward off of a flat site. 

For the rest, I really don't think moving them to a new location would be feasible.  But there are a lot that could theoretically be reconstructed right back where they originally were. 

East Potomac is one that should actually happen.  Sharp Park is one that can't be rebuilt exactly because of the sea wall and other constraints, but it can get back a lot of what was lost.  Shawnee is one that I find interesting- although it would depend on them wanting to do it, which I have no idea. 

I have a back of the mind fantasy of trying to get them to revive the 3 hole loop (4- Cape, 5- Short, and 6- Hill to Carry/ Eden) at Ocean Links that is just sitting there under the bushes- maybe as a kids/ community course that could be maintained by Newport CC or something.

And houses…. Lots, backyards, etc. there are a few spots where there could be a couple of holes, but the rest of it’s gone..

[David Kelly]

The five NLE courses I would most like to have played are:

1. The Links. Club (Macdonald)
2. El Caballero (Thomas & Bell)
3. Timber Point (Alison)
4. Midwick CC (Bell)
5. Pasadena Golf Club (O'Neil & Croke)

[Jon Heise]

There's many more famous and notable places that have been mentioned above, but I feel like there's probably a ton of long lost Langford & Moreau designs out there that would have been really great to reimagine.  How many in the city of Chicago and near suburbs had been paved over... ten?  More?  I don't know.  Would have been fun.

[Peter Flory]

There's many more famous and notable places that have been mentioned above, but I feel like there's probably a ton of long lost Langford & Moreau designs out there that would have been really great to reimagine.  How many in the city of Chicago and near suburbs had been paved over... ten?  More?  I don't know.  Would have been fun.

Twin Orchard
Acacia
Mid City


All of those looked really solid. 

[David Kelly]

This topic is why Daniel Wexler's books were so interesting to me and the subject of many re-reads over the years. 

[Edward Glidewell]

This would be much, much harder to answer (both because there are likely many more options and because a course designed on paper isn't the same as the course actually built in the ground), but what about courses that were designed but never built?


I think about it every time I play at Sedgefield, because they have a framed design plan from Donald Ross for two course. They only ever built one of the designs, and all the land for the other is now roads and houses, but I always wonder about that other eighteen.

[Ronald Montesano]

Who is this Tommy Naccarato guy? Seems to know things ...

[Tom_Doak]

East Potomac is one that should actually happen.  Sharp Park is one that can't be rebuilt exactly because of the sea wall and other constraints, but it can get back a lot of what was lost.  Shawnee is one that I find interesting- although it would depend on them wanting to do it, which I have no idea. 
 

I have looked at all of these, over the years. 


East Potomac will be a huge project because of the seawall and infrastructure and where it is; it will take a lot for that to happen. 


Sharp Park is impossible to truly restore, we will only be able to do 2/3 of it at most.


Shawnee was really the most intriguing to me, as it was Tillinghast's first course, and it's a great setting for golf.  The ownership were pretty serious about exploring it back in the day.  They never said why they didn't act on it, but I presumed it was because there was too much risk involved to close the course and rebuild it, when there was a possibility the next big flood would come along and you'd have to rebuild it again right after that.  The time it makes sense to restore it is just AFTER the next big flood, but of course no one should wish for that.

[Craig Sweet]

Augusta National

[Jim O’Kane]

There's many more famous and notable places that have been mentioned above, but I feel like there's probably a ton of long lost Langford & Moreau designs out there that would have been really great to reimagine.  How many in the city of Chicago and near suburbs had been paved over... ten?  More?  I don't know.  Would have been fun.

Twin Orchard
Acacia
Mid City


All of those looked really solid.

Twin Orchard is gone?!


When did that happen? I've been gone a long time.

[Peter Flory]

The original Twin Orchard- they built O'Hare over it and the club moved to it's current location. 

[Ben Stephens]

From the UK it would be interesting to recreate the Hills and Hollows part of the original Northampton Golf Club - was designed by Willie Park jr - most of the land forms are still there as a part it is really wild! the 1st and 18th is now a supermarket.


Now that sea levels are likely to rise thanks to the climate issue. Who knows in 100 years that golfers will be playing on a floating Old Course redux.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Gibson Island!!

[Mike Bodo]

Tough to say for sure, John, but Mill Road Farm in Lake Forest, IL may be considered.


In 1939, National Golf Review ranked it 23rd out of the top 100 courses in the world.


William Flynn design that is now sadly covered by homes.


https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-06-26-0906240565-story.html


https://lflb.passitdown.com/stories/41935


https://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=21454.0

I was originally in favor of the Links Club being the next recreation course, but having read and checked out Mill Road, it wins hands down. This was a beast of a course in its day at 6,700 yds. What's cool about the land it was built on is that there was no water to contend with. Being just outside Chicago, I'm guessing the terrain was predominately flat. Thus, it can be recreated just about anywhere. Would love to see this amazing Flynn course brought back to life and given a fair chance to succeed.

[Andrew Carr]

How much of what currently exists at Gibson Island is original?  I've wanted to make a visit down there one of these days.

Gibson Island!!

[Ben Hollerbach]

How much of what currently exists at Gibson Island is original?  I've wanted to make a visit down there one of these days.

Gibson Island!!

Of what is there today, much of it is original. But that is only 9 holes of the originally build 18, and the originally planned 36.

[Andrew Carr]

Not to be a knucklehead, but there doesn't appear to be anything physically preventing those holes from being restored, like homes, etc.  Does the club not own that land anymore?

[Ben Hollerbach]

There is a house sitting on the land that was occupied by the 9th green/10th tee. It looks like most of Purdy Point is privately owned. The rest of the land occupied by the original 18 appears to still be owned by the club.

The 15th-18th on the 2nd 18 was routed through a current neighborhood, with much of the 10th-14th also being routed on private land. So that course is probably out of the question.

[Mark McKeever]

There is a house sitting on the land that was occupied by the 9th green/10th tee. It looks like most of Purdy Point is privately owned. The rest of the land occupied by the original 18 appears to still be owned by the club.

The 15th-18th on the 2nd 18 was routed through a current neighborhood, with much of the 10th-14th also being routed on private land. So that course is probably out of the question.

Unfortunately Purdy Point is privately owned.  I drove up the driveway once and you can still see some features in their yard.