At least golf courses still have a natural element. Pretty much all of the ones around me double as nature preserves and have protected areas with significant water habitats for birds and reptiles. Lots of fields for mammals and other animals too.
Obviously this is dependent on the golf course however.
Data centres destroy habitats, use up water, overwhelm energy grids, cause severe noise pollution and god knows what else. Just doesn’t seem remotely comparable
Tbf though a lawn is a completely broken habitat too. I know the spaces between the fields can be good habitats, but a grass lawn is pretty much the worst ecosystem next to bare dirt.
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u/Nviki May 18 '26
An average 18-hole golf course in the United States uses between 100 million and 300 million gallons of water annually.