Do you have any idea how many golf courses there are in this world? Or how much land they use – especially when compared to other recreational sports fields? As golfers, perhaps we could use a little perspective.
I tell ya, golf courses and cemeteries are the biggest wastes of prime real estate!
– Rodney Dangerfield (as Al Czervik) in Caddyshack
Is it bad when one of the most beloved characters in golf movie history thinks golf courses are a waste of space? We love Al Czervik – we all do. But the fact remains he wanted to buy Bushwood and replace the course with condos. Granted, his motivation was purely for profit, but nonetheless he wished there were less golf courses in the world. And so do many other people.
Some real estate moguls see golf courses as an encroachment on their piggybank; Some environmentalists view golf courses as an encroachment on the natural habitat of wildlife; and some non-golfers see golf courses as just a waste of space that could have been put to better use.
Whatever your viewpoint might be, one can’t deny golf courses take up a good amount of space – to the tune of 2.24 million acres1 in the US alone. That’s a lot of real estate. Another mind-boggling stat is just how many golf courses there are in this country: More than 16,000. Let me put that in perspective for you: There are only 12,800 McDonald’s restaurants in the US. This means when you’re driving down the road craving a BigMac, you’re more likely to find a golf course before a Mickey D’s. I’ll give you a moment to digest that.
It’s also true golf takes up more space than other recreational sports. Baseball, softball, soccer and football fields take up 1 to 3 acres2 each while basketball and tennis courts much less still (0.1 – 0.6 acres respectively). This is a far cry from the average amount of acreage needed for a golf course (140 acres).
Even a golf driving range (15 acres2) takes up more than each of the non-golf fields combined! So from a space management standpoint, you could have youth baseball, softball, soccer and football games all going on at the same time in one park (and a tennis and basketball court to boot). Or, you could have one facility to practice (not even really play) golf.
Now my point in telling you all this is to give you the perspective of the non-golfer. If you’re a non-golfer and read those stats, you’d think; “Wow, that’s a lot of space for one sport that not everybody plays.” And based on that, you can begin to see why so many people have a hard time with golf and the land it requires (see comedian George Carlin’s famous take on this here). Furthermore, many courses are private – meaning vast tracts of land are set aside for only a very select few to enjoy.
As golfers, we may have never even thought about how many golf courses there are in the world (34,000). For us, there can never be too many courses. But when we look at the stats, it’s kinda crazy. That’s a lot of land, water, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. just so we golfers can play our game. Sure golf is doing more to lessen its environmental impact these days, but that’s just scratching the surface. So this brings me back to the original question: Are golf courses a waste of space?
For the avid golfer, they certainly aren’t wasting space. But the non-golfers have valid points – especially on the topic of if there are too many courses. This is a real concern and one the golf industry (at this point at least) might have a hard time rebutting. I’ve posted about there being too many courses before and tend to agree the herd could use a little thinning – especially in this post-Tiger era when golf participation is on the decline.
However, if a course is operating at sustainable levels and putting forth a decent product (they don’t have to be lush green mind you), then in my opinion, it’s hard to argue there would ever be a better use for that land.
Notes:
1See page 3 of the Golf Course Environmental Profile: Property Summary.
2See the appendix of the Reusing Cleaned Up Superfund Sites report.
It’s definitely true they take up a lot of space but the benefits to the economy far out way their costs. Golf courses bring millions of dollars in revenue to most countries worldwide and create jobs, friendships and keep people fit well into retirement.
Let’s hope it stays that way!
Agreed, I’d rather have a 1000 new golf courses than a 1000 new homes built instead. Property developers rarely buy golf courses!
We aren’t talking about 1000 new golf courses versus 1000 new homes. Based on the size of a 1000 golf courses being 140,000 acres (140 acres a piece times 1000), you could build 1.4 million single family homes on that amount of land. This is to say nothing of multifamily homes, businesses, highway, amusement parks, water parks, museums, and tourist spots (like parks or preserves) that would garner far more of an economic benefit than 1000 golf courses.
1.4 million homes or 1000 golf courses? Easy — golf courses are a waste of precious land.
Really? A great way to stay in shape into retirement? If you can drink beer and smoke while playing, it is not a game that takes any physicality. And old people play it because they have nothing better to do except waste six hours chasing a ball around on an electric cart.
Golf courses take up more space than all the landfills in America.
George Carlin had the right idea, move the homeless to golf courses
golf is actually an aimless activity. I spent almost 50 years fascinated with playing. The game is inundated now with hackers that drive around the links with a bag for a stomach. Its hard to call it a sport. Its really just a game. I can take just a driver, hybrid, 8 iron, sand wedge and putter and play a 7000+ yrd course with at least a 74 slope rating 140 course rating in single digits over par and what does it prove——nothing. Its just aimlessness–unproductive nonsense. Think about its objective-put the ball in the hole. This garbage with the non-athletic hackers puffing cigars and guzzling beer on the course really turns the game into absolute low level jerkwaterville.
Golf is just about pregnant males waddling off the green to drive a cart 10 yards to the next tee. Whenever I played I’d do push ups at the tee waiting for the pregnant males to get out of range and then run to the ball. That’s what the term ‘ready golf’ needs to mean’.
Golf needs and aerobic element required and make it truly athletic. Have player run to ball at least 30 yds. I’m so tired at seeing disgusting fat pigs crawling for 18 holes at a snail’s pace
Golf courses are practically subsidized by the cities. They pay very little taxes and are the course owners are entitled to special tax breaks.
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0273.htm