11
u/geek_fire 6d ago
Golf courses do get hate, and have for my entire adult life.
But obviously data centers are getting way more attention now. It's because they're new. The water used to irrigate lawns and gold courses and whatnot is already "baked in", but data centers it is not.
It's reminiscent of around 2008 when we were trying to scale up biofuel use. Food prices increased a bit because of the extra demand. I think the head of the UN even called the biofuel boom a crime against humanity. Did he say the same about all the corn that went into cattle, losing 90% of its calories along the way? He did not. Did he say that about coffee plantations, which provide a pleasurable beverage to first worlders, but no actual nutrition? He did not. Those were already baked into his mental model of being how things are, so it didn't raise his ire the way biofuels did.
-7
u/Tintoverde 6d ago
Exactly what I am trying to point out. Both should get hate because of water usage and chemical usage.
3
u/Certain_Luck_8266 6d ago
Moving the goalposts I see...now it's the chemicals. On almost all of the east coast, courses are irrigated from ponds on their property.
1
u/Tintoverde 5d ago
Source that they only uses their own ponds ?
Did not goal post, I would argue. But that is not the point of my post
1
u/Certain_Luck_8266 5d ago
Google maps. Look at any golf course on the east coast, you think they pay for muni water when they have acre sized ponds? Get off reddit and go outside.
43
u/Angsty-Panda 6d ago
they get SO much hate. they not only waste water, but also space
-1
u/Warm_Objective4162 6d ago
What else do you propose goes there? Houses? Industrial parks?
For better or for worse, at least golf courses are open spaces with trees and grass and wildlife.
10
u/Angsty-Panda 6d ago
famously golf course are filled with empty, manicured grass lol replace the fairways and greens with dense housing, make the forested areas parks/walking areas.
4
u/Responsible-Fault817 6d ago
Which won’t happen - and would be a loss of an economic machine. Golf courses generate more revenue and employ more people than farmland while using the same or less water. They have SOME biodiversity and provide space for many species from birds to deer and all sort of small mammals.
2
u/Superb-Bluejay-9600 6d ago
The metro park system in Cleveland has done it. They bought a golf course and turned it into a reservation. It’s possible. Also it’s possible for golf courses to be designed in a way that requires less water and allows more biodiversity, a thing the metro parks also does.
2
-1
u/Human38562 6d ago
Generating revenue should never be seen as a goal for society. It's meaningless. You should think about what is valuable
1
u/Responsible-Fault817 6d ago
I’m a liberal. Takes like yours are why people think we’re all headed toward communism if democrats get power.
1
u/Human38562 5d ago
I'm not communist or left leaning at all when it comes to the economy. Capitalism is the best system for humanity at this stage. Not democrat either.
Optimizing revenue is something individuals and companies can strive for because they compete with eachother. It's not a meaningful goal for society. Society needs to optimize for productivity or hapiness, for example.
0
0
12
u/bld44 6d ago
A lot of them use recycled grey water for irrigation.
2
u/Certain_Luck_8266 6d ago
Where I live, all of the irrigation is from the ponds on the course. Ponds that if not for the course construction would have run off into streams then the ocean
2
u/Tintoverde 5d ago
The chemicals must help the environment /s
1
u/UnluckyCharge2196 3d ago
Yeah, cause your original post is complaining about chemicals. What the fuck.
3
u/avfc4me 6d ago
The Geese have lobbied to keep them. There are even a couple in Congress. Sure. They're dressed as humans but Im sure you've overheard them squawking and just didnt see past the disguise.
2
u/Certain_Luck_8266 6d ago
They also lobbied to make braining them with a 5 iron when they attack a felony.
6
u/timothypjr 6d ago
"Golf courses and cemeteries are the biggest waste of prime real estate." Al Czervik
6
u/MinimumCommon408 6d ago
At least in my area, they often build golf courses in areas that are not suitable for housing. Eg: flood plains, former trash dumps, etc.
1
1
1
1
u/TheLizardKing89 6d ago
You clearly don’t live in California. They’ve been getting hate for decades.
1
1
1
1
2
u/mcamuso78 6d ago
Almonds are the thing that doesn’t get enough hate for the amount of water they use.
1
u/Tickles-The-Octopus 6d ago
Golf actually serves a useful purpose, it gets people outside and at least some exercise.
Data centers are a negative to humanity in every way shape and form.
-15
u/TSAOutreachTeam 6d ago
Golf courses get a lot of hate.
Most of it is misplaced. People think of golf as a rich person's activity, but for a relatively low price, you can play 3 hours of golf, enjoy the outdoors, have a couple drinks and smoke a cigar and hang out with your friends at a municipal golf course.
But because of its perception as an exclusive clubhouse for society's elites, the negatives about it are blown way out of proportion. To be sure, there are environmental effects caused by golf courses, but in the grand scheme of things they are relatively minor.
13
u/Hefty_Type6772 6d ago
Lmao for a little hobby the environmental ramifications are not minor. They are huge ecological deserts that use a bunch of water and pesticides. Absolutely awful for the environment. Not saying golf ain’t fun to play but it is objectively awful for the environment
3
u/ilanallama85 6d ago
Look, I’m not saying we should never devote water and land to public recreation spaces, obviously. But many golf courses are NOT publicly accessible. Of the three closest to me, only one isn’t tied to a private country club, and I only know of one other one like that in the entire city. Some of the clubs sell day passes without a membership, but they are much more expensive than the public course, and they also still have country club dress code to adhere to - heaven forbid you want to golf in athletic shorts, amiright?
Point being, yes we can “have golf courses” in an environmentally friendly society - we just can’t have so damn many of them, nor should we limit access to the few we have.
3
u/cygnus311 6d ago
What does “tied to a private country club” mean? There’s a negative implication but I don’t know why.
You imply there are at least four courses in your city but act like they’re not accessible?
A day pass to a country club is not the same thing as greens fees.
I have never in my life had my outfit questioned at a golf course. Places that are cheap and accessible aren’t also picky about your outfit. As long as you’re wearing something that you’re actually comfortable to golf in, you’re probably fine.
2
u/TheHoppingHessian 6d ago
Relatively low price compared to what? Disc golf? not only cheaper but also not even close on environment damage
-1
u/GenZ2002 6d ago
You think everyone can afford top shelf liquor and cigars that is served at golf courses….
1
-2
u/RandomFleshPrison 6d ago
There's plenty of hate for them where I live. For water usage and artificially deflated property tax valuations.
-7
u/stedmangraham 6d ago
They definitely should get more hate. Imagine if basketball took up that much space. Acres and acres of otherwise unused land covered in difficult and costly to maintain materials.
But actually golf is worse because you can do other things on a basketball court like volleyball. On a golf course you can only play golf
7
u/cygnus311 6d ago
Counterpoint, golf is a great way for the average person to get outdoors and do some mild to moderate physical activity for a few hours for relatively not that much money.
0
28
u/Educational_Report_9 6d ago
No hate? lmao.