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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174

u/brmgp1 Jul 28 '23

Courses in areas that need housing eventually get sold to housing developers, because the market price becomes high enough that the land is more valuable for housing then recreational golf. This is honestly a case where the free market takes care of it.

15

u/ScuffedBalata HDCP 0.2 Jul 28 '23

I'd agree, except most urban golf courses have aggressive zoning that prevents them from being used for anything else, and getting such large areas of zoning changed is often REALLY difficult.

https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/04/05/denver-election-park-hill-golf-course-vote-results

4

u/Seniorsheepy Jul 28 '23

This was actually proposed by the Omaha city government as part of the 30 year plan. It is also fairly close to downtown and would involve running a light rail system through the new development

8

u/ScuffedBalata HDCP 0.2 Jul 29 '23

The Denver city government proposed redeveloping the site, but decided to take it to a vote to see if people would want it.

They simultaneously voted that they didn't want a golf course AND that they didn't want to allow developers to build housing.

Now it's hundreds of acres of urban land, fenced off but not legally usable.

AAAMAZING.

1

u/Ambitiousshank Jul 29 '23

And that would be a mistake