Golf often is the center of political turmoil.
Topics like use of pesticides, fertilizers and water as well as habitat management are among the usual reasons golf is typically in the crosshairs of those attempting to curry favor with voters.
The game's antagonists say golf courses use too much water, contaminate the soil and water table with synthetic chemicals and fertilizers and are a waste of land that could be used for the greater good.
That last item has become especially poignant in New York City politics where a candidate vying to be the city's next mayor has his sights set on the public golf inventory to help solve the local housing shortage.
NYC comptroller Brad Lander, a candidate in an otherwise crowded mayoral field, is running on a campaign that includes building a half-million new housing units in the next decade. Calling his plan "a hole-in-one" Lander says he wants to use four of New York's 12 city-owned golf courses to provide space for about a tenth of that proposed increase in housing inventory.
In New York, golf rounds surged by over 20% during COVID-19, and demand remains strong, with the National Golf Foundation reporting a seventh consecutive annual increase in participation, reaching over 28 million golfers in 2024. This growing interest underscores the increasing need for public golf facilities in urban areas.
"When I'm mayor, we'll build new neighborhoods on just four of the city's 12 municipal golf courses," Lander said in a campaign video. "It would mean we could create 50,000 new homes for New Yorkers to rent or buy."
The city's dozen golf courses comprise about 2,500 acres across four of New York's five boroughs, and Lander has yet to publicly identify which of the city's four golf courses he would like to repurpose. His campaign, however, has released a 36-page document on his plan to solve the city's housing dilemma that cites outdated data about the game's popularity.
The document reads: "The popularity of golf has waned over the past twenty years; between 2003 and 2018, the number of golfers declined nationally by 6.8 million or 22% and the number of golfers at half of the City's municipal golf courses dropped by 17% between 2008 and 2018."
That data, while accurate, also is flawed given the game's resurgence during and after the Covid pandemic.
Since 2020, records have been set nationwide for rounds played and the overall number of players in the game. This year's state of the industry report given annually at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando by Jim Koppenhaver and Stuart Lindsay also indicates a substantial boost in the number of younger players and women in the game.
Koppenhaver says any pre-Covid numbers on golf are out of date. Not only is the game's popularity up nationwide since the pandemic, interest in golf in New York City is outpacing the national average, he said.
"Our sources/calculations indicate there's just under 20 million rounds played annually in the NYC Core Business Statistical Area by the end of calendar year 2023," Koppenhaver wrote by email.
"The cumulative growth in rounds from 2019-23 was about 25%. That represents a compound annual change rate of about 6% per annum. In summary, (golf) post-Covid is growing at a healthy rate and slightly higher than the national average on those growth rate metrics."
Even the city's own website seems to refute Lander's claims of the game's popularity. All the courses on the New York City golf website have a link to get on a waitlist for tee times.
The city's dozen golf courses comprise about 2,500 acres across four of New York's five boroughs.
The New York State Turfgrass Association has released a statement in opposition to Lander's plan for municipal golf.
The letter states: "New York City's municipal golf courses offer accessible and affordable recreational opportunities across the five boroughs. These 12 public courses accommodate golfers of all skill levels, promoting physical activity, mental well-being, and outdoor engagement. Mr. Lander argues that golf participation has declined, citing outdated statistics from 2003 to 2018. However, he conveniently omits the sport's resurgence in recent years. In New York, golf rounds surged by over 20% during COVID-19, and demand remains strong, with the National Golf Foundation reporting a seventh consecutive annual increase in participation, reaching over 28 million golfers in 2024. This growing interest underscores the increasing need for public golf facilities in urban areas."
Click here to read the letter in its entirety.
According to the National Golf Foundation, those numbers might be even higher.
"It appears that New York rounds (for 2024) would be up approximately 40% compared to 2019. This is higher than the national average (+22%)," wrote NGF editorial director Erik Matuszewski by email.
"The New York City average would at least be similar in direction, but likely slightly under the +40%."
The race for mayor is a crowded field that includes incumbent Eric Adams, former governor Andrew Cuomo, assemblyman Michael Blake, comedian Corinne Fisher, assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, state senator Zellnor Myrie, state senator Jessica Ramos, former comptroller Scott Stringer and hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson.
Election Day in New York is Nov. 4.