The Greens of Golf Rolling Over Into Public Green Spaces.

Since the great recession, dozens of golf courses around the country have closed, leaving communities with a dilemma; What to do with the vacant land? Around the country, dozens of cities are experimenting and transitioning the land into ecologically promising new uses.

In Akron, Ohio, a former golf course is becoming an example of public green space by being turned into a park replanted with native trees. Near Palm Springs, another former golf course is becoming a mixed-use "Agrihood" that includes 75 acres of olive groves that will be used to make olive oil. The green conversion of golf courses is actually spreading worldwide, with a massive solar farm taking over a former 27-hole course in Japan.

So what's behind this trend of converting golf courses to public green space? Let's look at how the green movement is reimagining the golf course to create eco-friendly, sustainable spaces in the hearts of communities around the country.

The Legacy of The 1990s Golf Course Bubble

The introduction and rise of Tiger Woods in the mid-1990s created an explosion of interest in golf. During that time, thousands of courses opened between 1995 and peaked in 2006, and in many areas, these courses were built alongside new housing developments. Then in 2008, the great recession hit, demand slowed, and the current trend of closures began. In fact, since 2005, more than 1200 golf course facilities have closed around the country. The latest report from the National Golf Foundation found that more than 200 courses closed in the past year alone.

Today, private developers and public park systems are seeing these closed courses and deciding on alternative use. Fortunately, as the green movement has begun, more of these entities are making choices toward sustainability.

As a general rule, golf courses are notoriously not environmentally friendly. They use copious amounts of chemicals to keep the courses green and attractive. Many are often planted with non-native species and can require a tremendous amount of water. These chemicals can make their way into underground water supplies, and with drought conditions in many areas of the country, water waste is a growing concern.

Public Green Space Is A Common Good

As courses have closed, municipalities have increasingly chosen to turn them into public green spaces like parks or nature preserves. In Detroit, for example, the city has plans to turn a failed golf course into a park complete with nature trails and space to capture stormwater. Near Seattle, the city of Bothell bought an 87-acre course to create public green space and to restore wildlife habitat.

Converting Golf courses to new uses has grown nationwide. In Wisconsin, one former golf course has been restored and contains wetlands and forested areas to help support migratory bird populations. In Englewood, Florida, another has been converted into a wildflower preserve!

Not In My Backyard

In many areas of the country, housing shortages have led to proposals to convert closed courses into affordable housing. However, "NIMBY-ism" has posed a challenge to hopes of developing housing.

Golf courses tend to be in wealthier neighborhoods, and since open space tends to increase property values, the residents usually want to preserve the green space. In Denver, a proposition to turn a course into affordable housing faced opposition from those residents wanting it to become an open space. As of the end of 2019, the site's future was unclear.

An Environmental Perspective

Developers have had more success when they keep significant green space as a part of their development plan. In on new development proposed in San Diego, plans included 100 acres of public green space, parks, and community gardens along the San Diego River. Out of a 200-acre parcel, half will remain green in perpetuity. The second 100 acres include up to 1 million square feet of office space and over 4,000 new housing units, all next to a transit line. Located in a central area of San Diego, it's suffering the same housing crisis as the rest of the state. This housing and open space, accessible via mass transit, is huge from an environmental perspective because it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This is the real issue. Taking formerly environmentally unfriendly land use and re-purposing it into publicly accessible green space such as nature preserves, "Agrihoods," planned communities including shopping, farm-to-table dining (from the 9th hole to your table!), and public parks, all are bringing new life to cities. This valuable green space could be put to use in many ways for public use. Finding large tracts of available land in close-in suburbs and cities is challenging. As demographics and public tastes change, we're going to start to see more of these conversions and expanded sustainable use for this valuable acreage. follow our newsletter for more about how Achaic zoning laws begin to shift with the times.

With In Green Living, Joni Keefe shares nature-based design choices for urban greenspaces and Interior Design. Her interests follow Real Estate & housing sustainable agriculture, eco-friendly building products, and the latest trends in green design. She is a published writer with horticultural design work featured in national publications, this is her newsletter.