Former Golf Courses Are Going Wild

Gallons and Gallons of water are wasted everyday and worse, zillions of acres of ecosystems destroyed every day in every nation for the stupidest of fads. 

For what? 

One simple reason - Rich freaking humans want to hit a small round thing with an iron rod because there is nothing better to do. And not so rich want to emulate and signal their richness and coolness. 

I do wonder how we got this far as a species. 

Thank goodness for this good news and thank you Exploration Green!

And although residents were happy to see their flooding problems vanish, they wanted more than just detention ponds: They wanted green space, walking trails and a place for nature to flourish. It took a while, but at last, in the fall of 2023 the engineering and water retention part of the project was complete, and other than some ongoing planting of native plant species, Exploration Green is a reality. The former golf course is now part of a 200-acre nature reserve, with a centerpiece of five interconnected lakes attached to the area’s stormwater infrastructure. 

A bird habitat island on one of the artificial lakes provides a place for migrating birds to rest and feel protected from predators. Walking trails circumnavigate the lakes, and over 1,000 native plants grow with abandon on what were once perfectly manicured fairways and putting greens. The reserve is a community gathering place not just for recreation but for education, too. During Houston Bird Week in September, residents can register for guided bird walks to learn more about the many species that frequent the reserve. It is exactly what residents hoped for — including having dry homes.

Exploration Green is among the many golf courses that have been re-envisioned as places for people and nature to thrive in recent years.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped approximately 50 inches of rain on the Houston area. “The first lake was 90 percent complete when Harvey hit,” explains David Sharp, chairman of the board of directors of the Exploration Green Conservancy, the nonprofit created to manage the site’s ecological restoration and sustainability. “There were 200 houses in the immediate area that would regularly get flooded with any kind of heavy rain. Not one house flooded,” he recalls.

Exploration Green is not the only golf course that has seen a rewilding. As golf’s popularity has waned in recent years, other courses have also been re-envisioned as places for people and nature to thrive.  

According to the National Golf Foundation, there were almost four million fewer golfers in 2024 than in 2003. The cost to operate a private golf club can be as much as $1 million annually, and with fewer golfers hitting the links, owners are not able to meet operating budgets, and courses have been sold. In 2022 alone, more than 100 golf courses shuttered across the U.S., leaving many acres of unused land ripe for reimagining. Couple this with a 2023 study which found that 97 percent of all metropolitan areas in the United States have insufficient open space, and unused golf courses become an invaluable resource.

The benefits of preserving open spaces, as the authors of the report note, are numerous. They provide opportunities for people to experience nature, socialize and participate in healthy recreational activities — something the residents of the municipalities of Churchill and Penn Hills outside of Pittsburgh are passionate about.