I live in upstate New York, just about every town has a golf course. I personally love the game, but I honestly don't think their that bad for the environment up here. For many people it's their third place.

Like we get plenty of rain, and most I've been to are nestled near the edge of the forests. The APA regulates the shit out of what you can do. And it's really not much of a waste of land. If I want to go for a hike or trail run, I have dozens within biking distance and maybe even 100 within 30 minutes of driving.

It's farms and their cow shit fertilizer releasing gass and it's runoff polluting the watershed that's doing the most damage around here. But like I say, the APA does a pretty good job most of the time.

[–] vivadanang@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

lol this moron thinks they don't fertilize the NEON GREEN grass that makes up almost every course.

goddamn that's dumb

[–] greedytacothief@lemmy.world -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think you've seen how NEON GREEN the Adirondacks are. I get that they fertilize it. But really I don't think the environmental impact is particularly great around me.

What environmental impacts are there that I'm not thinking of for my area? And how severe are they? The way I see it, this area is one that can afford to have golf courses.

[–] vivadanang@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, I KNOW HOW NEON GREEN YOUR LAKES GET WHEN THE ALGAE BLOOMS COME IN.

https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/a-lake-in-crisis

Because of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, you fucking ignorant dolt. This is a REAL FUCKING PROBLEM even for you fortunate assholes up in the mountains.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/67239.html

https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/53/4/357/250240

https://harvardforest1.fas.harvard.edu/publications/pdfs/Driscoll_Environment_2003.pdf

The fertilizers still run down stream into the Raritan Bay watershed, LIS, hell every fucking waterway in the northeast.

Some of these fertilizers are critical to growing our fucking crops to feed people, so set aside your FUCKING INANE AND STUPID HOBBY for a moment and realize we gotta keep using them, we simply can't keep spraying them on putting greens so it runs down to the creek, into river, on into the bay or lake.

[–] greedytacothief@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Look, I get it it's the Internet, but why all the insults?

I read the links and it seems to me that I was entirely correct. Runoff from farms is the primary source of nitrogen and other fertilizers in the waterways. I drive through Addison Vermont every day for work. You can smell the putrid rotting shit they spray on the fields. Vermont has rules around when you can spray shit, so that's why it smells worse than New York farms. Because it ferments in a pit or tank for a while before use.

I also did a preliminary search and it seems that golf courses have been reducing the amount of fertilizer used over the past couple of decades.

Source:

https://gcmonline.com/course/environment/news/nutrient-use-and-management-on-u.s.-golf-courses

So yes fertilizer is a problem. Farms need to figure out a way to reduce the runoff they produce. I probably just didn't read hard enough but how much of a problem are golf courses? How do they compare to other polluters?

[–] vivadanang@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So you're completely aware of the harm being done to play a fool's game, the waste of space and resources, the impact to the watershed, and your response is "yeah well how does it compare to other pollution" - FOR A FUCKING GAME?

AND YOU WONDER WHY I INSULT YOU?

if we have any descendents that live through the next millennium, they're going to wonder why it was so hard to just stop killing the planet, and one of the biggest reasons will be fuckwits like you who stood in the way. for fucking games.

[–] greedytacothief@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am asking, how bad is it?

The environment has a capacity to handle some pollution. If the pollution caused by golf courses is negligible then why should I care about something that pales in comparison to that which is causing real and apparent harm.

I see a couple of acres of grass that makes people happy. I see thousands of acres that are clearly damaging the environment that i love. Why should I care about the little bit that gets people outside enjoying the outdoors? Why do you sling insults instead of changing my mind? I'm open to change my mind, just have a conversation with me.

Are you a conservationist or a preservationist? Do you believe humans should enjoy the land we protect, or should humans be kept away from the natural world to protect it?

[–] vivadanang@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I'm a fucking rationalist and a realist. You're a delusionist apparently.

there's so many resources, we can spend them foolishly on bullshit that benefits few, or we can devote our energy, space and production to saving our own asses.

do the fucking math, and please, stop trying to convince me your milquetoast excuses are anything but "fuck you, I don't care" - because your indifference and petty justifications communicate loud and clear dipstick.