The coronavirus lockdown has revived discussions on opening private golf clubs in cities for public use, say land advocates, as the spaces can be used to avoid overcrowding existing parks.
“We should be opening up private green spaces so there’s more room for everyone to exercise safely,” says environmental activist Guy Shrubsole, in an online petition on golf courses in Britain that has collected thousands of signatures.
Should all golf courses in Britain open up, there would be another million city residents would be within 500 meters of green space, estimates Geofutures, a data science consultancy. And there’s already been progress on the matter: some golf clubs, which closed on Mach 24 after the lockdown, have reopened certain areas for locals to walk and jog in.
