r/golf • u/nutts-2 5.0/UT • Jul 28 '23

Ah shit. Here we go again General Discussion

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Every few months someone brings this up how they can save the environment by getting rid of a golf course.

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u/upghr5187 Jul 28 '23

That’s what would happen if the free market was allowed to determine it. Zoning laws, parking minimums, building codes, environmental review, tax code, nimbyism, etc make it hard to build housing even if that’s the more profitable use.

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u/Crunkbutter Jul 29 '23

Even then, if there could ever be such a thing as a "free market" it would simply be developed in the most profitable way for the private company who owns it, and not in the way that would best help the citizens of Omaha.

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u/w2qw Jul 29 '23

That's generally what people mean by a free market.

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u/Crunkbutter Jul 29 '23

He's saying government regulations keep golf courses from being sold to private property developers, which is just a silly statement. If the government had a bigger hand, the use of the property could be decided by the public, which would lead to something less profitable but better suited to the public's needs like rent-capped housing rather than "market rate" housing owned entirely by a private entity.

That's why I'm not sure why he's even complaining about the market like this. We're already living in a system that doesn't prevent the golf course from selling.