[contubernio]

In the USA as elsewhere golf courses are incredible wastes of water and false green spaces that would function better as green spaces were they actually parks open to the public they serve the wealthy. What is different is that in the US there is very little real (operational) worry about waste of water (or other resources) - at least compared to other places - and there is lots of space compared to other places.

[trollbridge]

That is an overly broad generalisation. Where I live, golf courses aren’t irrigated at all - they just rely on rainwater, like every other farm does.

One of the golf courses near me has tee times for $10. I do not consider that something that only “serves the wealthy”. They also periodically close the course and open it up for RC plane enthusiasts.

Another one you can easily go for a walk in - I often do. It is effectively a public space.

[scotty79]

The spot you live in might be an outlier. Golf courses in US use half a trillion gallons of fresh water annually.

[bookofjoe]

>Golf in Saudi Arabia: Best Courses from Riyadh to the Red Sea

https://houseofsaud.com/travel/saudi-golf-courses/

>Avoid: June–September — temperatures regularly exceed 45°C (113°F), making outdoor play dangerous

[rurban]

I love golfing in England and Scotland! But in Germany it's hopeless, it's treated like exclusive tennis courts. Australia has nice golfing experiences also. But in the USA I never found affordable golfing.

[gnz11]

Irrigation isn’t the only concern but also the loads of herbicides and pesticides that get dumped on them.

[trollbridge]

… which also happens if the land were people’s lawns, were farmland, or commercial space with lawns.

[gnz11]

Yes, that’s also a problem too.

[paradox460]

Bothers the snot out of me that I'm told by my irrigation water company that I have to cut back and have a brown yard, meanwhile I drive past perfectly lush green golf courses, with sprinklers dumping more water in 1 hour than I use all season

[lmpdev]

In wealthy parts of the US, maybe

The vast majority of the world is nothing like this

From Scotland to Tasmania, most courses congregate around already wet and mostly sand/loamy soil (largely unusable for other purposes without major construction)

I agree with you for artificial American places like TPC Scottsdale or Wolf Creek GC etc

[maccard]

I’m an avid golfer and I live in Scotland. I’m not going to pretend that they’re bastions of sustainability - it’s not rained here in 2 full weeks and my course is watering their greens and fairways. We’re not quite at drought but the UK has a hosepipe ban in place and yet courses are continuing to water and maintain.

On the suitability of the soil, for some courses yeah. For the vast majority - there’s 4 courses within 20 minutes of me in an urban area and they would be developed into property in a heartbeat if they sold. My home course has an apartment block cutting through it.

I don’t think any of that matters though - it’s not like it would be a public park if it wasn’t a golf course. It’s certainly no less resource intensive than the massive concrete jungle of a sports centre with a running track across from me, or a football stadium or any of the numbers of empty buildings in the city centre. It’s an amenity, just like any other, it has a cost and we have to accept that otherwise we might as well just tear it all down.

[bookofjoe]

Let's give a "Hip Hip, Hooray" to your links courses and the Champion Golfer of the Year. What a putt!

[parpfish]

I find it absolutely insane that there’s a golf course in Death Valley

[kylecazar]

Visualizing it on satellite view puts things into perspective. Here's Wolf Creek:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ccFwBoDZMrmK7Bvc6?g_st=ac

Just surrounded by dust.

[paradox460]

There are like 3 in St. George Utah, meanwhile nearby lake Powell is nearly empty

[duped]

Where I live the municipal courses are actually a part of our water retention and drainage systems that are provided at cost (or discounted cost, sometimes free) to members of the community.

Basically we found a good way to create green spaces for recreation out of flood plains and drainage ditches. During heavy rain they provide important buffers that protect the nearby homes from flooding, and reduce the urban heat sink effect.

That's not true everywhere but keep it in mind before making sweeping statements about golf courses. Some people like golf. It's fine if you don't.

[rickmf]

yes and new developments/ cities are doing a much better job balancing this in most cases. Golf courses are a great use for flood plains and overflow regions.

[tclancy]

Don’t forget the tax breaks! Some places (many?) use farm rates for the tax rate.

[trollbridge]

That’s odd, since golf courses aren’t farms. The ones local to me are not taxed at ag rates but are taxed at the commercial rate which is the highest rate.

Amazon’s new data centre, of course, is paying a tiny fraction of that since they negotiated paying less.

[tclancy]

I live in New Hampshire where our taxes are entirely property tax based. Anything over ten acres qualifies as farm land no matter what. It’s a quality scam.