The Town of Hempstead has reduced Lido Golf Club green fees by 50 percent for players who visit the course during long-overdue renovations that began last month. Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti announced the discounted rates at a June 12 news conference held at the Lido Beach course.
Renovations at the course include reconstruction of nine greens, expansion of the maintenance staff and improvements to the irrigation system. During the greens work, two temporary putting surfaces will be in play along with seven shared greens. “We are taking proactive steps to improve every aspect of the golfing experience,” Ferretti said.
The announcement did not include specific details about a project timeline, which greens are being renovated, the town’s plans for a rebuilt clubhouse or any information on other hole renovations or upgrades. Ferretti and other Hempstead officials did not respond to multiple GOLI requests for additional project information.
Regular 18-hole green fees start at $43 for town residents and $55 for non-residents. Those fees are reduced by half until the renovations are substantially completed, according to the announcement. Cart fees have not been reduced.
Lido, one of two golf courses owned by the Town of Hempstead, has faced severe criticism in the local golf community in recent years due to rapidly declining conditions and maintenance, diseased greens and loss of services. In 2017, Lido briefly closed when Hempstead took control of the course from its longtime operator, Double Eagle Golf, due to financial and management disputes. The two sides sued each other, and after years of rejected settlements and judge recusals, Hempstead settled with Double Eagle in 2021. Meanwhile, after some initial improvements by the town, conditions at the course steadily deteriorated.
In 2023, the town demolished the course’s largely unused clubhouse rather than renovate it. Don Clavin, then Hempstead’s town supervisor, said there were no plans to rebuild one. Since then the course has operated out of a small trailer. Brooke Management Group took over instructional programs at Lido in 2024, though Hempstead Town remains the golf course operator.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the Lido Golf Club opened for play in the 1950s, initially as a private club. The course was built more than a decade after the original Lido Club — located west of the current course on property occupied today by Long Beach High School, Long Beach Middle School and Lido West Town Park — was taken over by the Navy during World War II. That Lido course was designed by renowned architect C.B. Macdonald and considered one of the greatest American golf courses at the time. Due to its historical significance, the original Lido has since been replicated elsewhere, most notably at Sand Valley in Wisconsin.