Golf Course Architecture - Issue 64, April 2021

32 Photos: Peter Flory “ I was amazed that anyone would want to pursue something so pure and non-commercial” GCA spoke with Chicago-based consultant Peter Flory about how a virtual golf course design hobby led to a role in Tom Doak’s Lido project in Wisconsin How did you get involved in virtual course design? I’ve always had an urge to design golf courses even though I never went into that field, professionally. Before I was in high school, I was designing golf courses in Jack Nicklaus’ Unlimited Golf & Course Design software, which may have been the first video game with a course design element. After entering the world of work, I took a long break from this hobby even though I was still an avid golfer and fan of all things relating to golf history and architecture. The thing that got me back into it was that we built a house and I decided to design the basement around a golf simulator installation. When I saw that the software allowed for course design, I realised that I could do things like design a short course for my kids to play or recreate the course where I learned the game. As my skills grew, I eventually started to apply the technology to revive lost golf courses, experience them and understand them in a way that no living person could. I then started to get involved with some real course restoration projects on the side. So, while I never expected a course like the Lido to become a reality, I was already getting used to the idea of integrating digital renderings into actual projects. How did it feel to get the call about being involved in the recreation of Long Island’s famous lost Lido course in Wisconsin? I was first approached by Tom Doak in early 2018 about the idea of providing rendering services for future design work. It wasn’t until late 2019 that he told me about the Keiser family’s interest in recreating the Lido at Sand Valley and their desire to utilise the TEE BOX THE INTERV I EW with Peter Flory A digital representation of the Lido’s par-three Redan sixteenth hole