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.
https://houseofsaud.com/travel/saudi-golf-courses/
>Avoid: June–September — temperatures regularly exceed 45°C (113°F), making outdoor play dangerous
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
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.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ccFwBoDZMrmK7Bvc6?g_st=ac
Just surrounded by dust.
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.
Amazon’s new data centre, of course, is paying a tiny fraction of that since they negotiated paying less.