Maybe it’s a location thing, but most courses around me are open to the public. Of the private ones I know of, one is exclusively for the owners of the McMansions on the course itself, and realistically, that would just be a choice between golf course or more McMansions. In that particular case, the golf course is probably the better choice for the environment.
They usually are on the outskirts. The land value alone is too high in the city.
Also, not everything has to be about max efficiency. People enjoy golfing, so there should be somewhere for them to golf.
Sure, just ban private and exclusionary clubs and give everyone the right to join and play of they wish. Then its fair.
Maybe it’s a location thing, but most courses around me are open to the public. Of the private ones I know of, one is exclusively for the owners of the McMansions on the course itself, and realistically, that would just be a choice between golf course or more McMansions. In that particular case, the golf course is probably the better choice for the environment.