Tackling The Lido Golf Course demands a different kind of mindset. This isn't a bombers-only paradise where you can simply overpower the course, it’s a strategic puzzle box designed by C.B. Macdonald that has been brilliantly brought back to life. To post a good score here, you need a game plan rooted in angles, ground play, and old-school imagination. This guide will walk you through the core principles and hole-by-hole strategies you need to confidently play one of America’s most celebrated tracks.
Before you ever tee it up, it's helpful to understand the philosophy behind The Lido. Originally designed by the legendary Seth Raynor and C.B. Macdonald, the course is built around a series of famous "template" holes - designs inspired by the greatest holes in Great Britain. Architects Tom Doak and revivalist Peter Flory faithfully recreated these at the new location in Wisconsin. Each template hole, from the "Redan" to the "Biarritz," presents a unique strategic question that often has a right and a wrong answer.
The course rewards golfers who think their way from tee to green. You’ll be constantly asked to consider:
Adopt these principles and you'll immediately have a leg up on the average player who just grabs a driver and swings away. This course isn't about how hard you hit it, but how well you think.
Every hole has an "ideal line" of play. Off the tee, this means placing your ball on the side of the fairway that gives you the best possible angle to approach the flagstick. For example, if a pin is tucked on the right side of the green behind a bunker, the ideal position for your tee shot will likely be down the left side of the fairway. This opens up the green and takes the big hazard out of play. Before you pull a club on the tee, always look at the green and work backward to figure out where you want to hit your second shot from. Learning how to choose the right golf club for a shot is paramount here.
The Lido’s features are bold and obvious. These big contours are not meant to be flown over, they are meant to be used. Greens are designed to receive shots that run onto the surface. You will regularly face shots where landing the ball 15-20 yards short of the green and letting it feed in a specific direction is the absolute best play. This feels strange to many modern golfers accustomed to target golf, but it's essential at The Lido. Practice low-flighted irons and fairway woods that you can use to chase the ball onto the putting surfaces. For versatile options, consider what hybrid clubs are used for in golf.
The course is wide open and exposed, meaning wind will almost always be a factor. This will affect everything from your club selection to your shot shape. When you're playing into the wind, it is not always about hitting the ball harder.
You can’t memorize every contour on your first visit, but knowing the "secret" to playing The Lido's most iconic template holes will save you countless strokes.
The Redan is perhaps the most famous par-3 template. The green is set at an angle, slopes significantly from right-to-left (for a right-handed hole) and away from the tee box, and is guarded by a fearfully deep bunker on the left.
The Strategy: Do not aim at the flag. The correct shot, especially for a back-left pin, is to aim for the front-right portion of the green. Treat it like a bank-shot in basketball. Land your ball on this 'kicker slope,' and the contours will gather it and feed it down towards the hole. If you attack the pin directly, a slight pull goes in the bunker (a disastrous result), and a perfect shot may roll off the back of the slope. Take one less club than the yardage suggests to account for the firm bounce and release, and trust the architecture.
This long par-3 is unmistakable. It features a massive, long green divided in half by a deep swale running through its middle. Pin position dictates everything.
Strategy (Front Pin): If the pin is on the front portion of the green, your job is simple in theory: you must carry your tee shot over the swale and land it on the front plateau. A shot landing in the swale will leave a very challenging, long uphill putt or chip.
Strategy (Back Pin): This is where the Biarritz gets interesting. The classic and most effective play is to hit a low, running shot that lands well short of the swale. Let the ball run through the valley and climb up the slope onto the back tier. This requires immense distance control and a belief in the ground game, but it's far more reliable than trying to land a high-flying shot softly on that back section, a play which often results in the ball racing over the back of the green.
The Punchbowl green is a fan favorite. Here, the putting surface sits at the bottom of a large, bowl-shaped amphitheater of turf. From the fairway, you often can't see the hole or even the surface of the green.
The Strategy: Trust the bowl. Your approach shot is less about precision and more about simple execution. The goal is to land the ball anywhere inside the rim of the punchbowl. Don't worry about the flagstick. If you execute a solid shot that finds the bowl, the slopes are designed to funnel the ball toward the middle of the green, often leaving you a very makeable birdie putt. The mistake is getting too cute, trying to an exact number, and missing the bowl entirely, leaving an almost impossible pitch back up to the green.
The finishing hole is a dramatic par-5 recreation of the legendary lost original. A massive, central cross-bunker complex defines the hole and forces a decision off the tee and on your layup.
The Strategy: Play for position, not for glory. The bravest might try to carry the trouble, but the smarter play is to lay up short of the central bunker with your tee shot, or play to one side of it. This will leave a long second shot. Pick a clear target for your layup that avoids the sand and sets up your preferred yardage for an approach shot into the enormous, undulating green. Taking this famous bunker out of play is the secret to making a par or birdie and finishing your round on a high note.
Playing The Lido successfully is a rich and rewarding experience that challenges your golfing mind as much as your physical technique. It’s about accepting the challenge each hole presents, using the ground contours to your advantage, and picking the smart and strategic play over the heroic one.
On a course with so much strategy and nuance, sometimes you just need an expert second opinion to build your confidence before a swing. We built Caddie AI to be that on-demand golf brain. When you're standing on the tee of a complex template like the Biarritz and you’re unsure whether to fly it or run it, our AI can offer a simple, clear strategy. If your ball ends up in an awkward lie in one of Lido's vast, sandy landscapes, snap a photo and you’ll get instant, practical advice on the best shot to play to escape and save your score. For specific tips on navigating these challenging situations, you can also refer to guides like how to play out of a bunker in golf.
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