A Boring Dystopia

Well they've also denied an oasis to the entire local ecosystem. They can claim that golf course ponds fulfill the same purpose all they want but nothing wants to live next to golf carts and flying golf balls if it's big enough to recognize it. People think deserts are wastelands but in reality that water is even more critical because animals can't just pop a mile down to the next spot. Then there's the effect on local plants, they're diverting all of this water and they probably killed the entire local plant system.

Sustainability also means taking care to build in places you won't impact as much. There's no world in which growing grass in a desert is sustainable. It doesn't matter how much technology you throw at it unless you figure out how to get everything you need from the air itself.

It doesn't need to exist. It is a tourist location. That's why this is here. People charter flights to fly out to there to see Death Valley and play golf at the lowest golf course on Earth. I'm not discontent with a golf course being there, more that people insist on going to see the hottest place in the world and the driest place in North America because there's more to do that just say, "Hoo boy, sure is pretty and hot and pretty hot." It just adds to an ever-worsening climate. And, I know...corporations, not people, are mostly responsible for climate change...I get it. But surely there are better uses for this runoff water than a golf course.

It was a sustainable oasis all on it's own. Now it's just a golf course.

They could build a Starbucks in the rainforest and as long as they claim it’s somewhat “sustainable” you’d probably endorse it.

I've never really understood why golf courses always needs to look the same. Wouldn't they be more exciting if they reflected the local ecology. I'd think it would be more interesting to play a desert course, a swamp course, beach course, forest course, bog course, etc. Then again, golf isn't exactly known for being an adventurous sport.

Or a disc golf course. I have played golf before and, yes, it is nice to get out into nature, and yes a squarely-hit golf ball feels nice. But it's no more satisfying a feeling than bowling a strike or spiking a volleyball. There are so many ways to get the feelgoods that don't require flagrant water waste the way golf courses do.

Desert ecosystems do exist. I guarantee you the water was not just being wasted. If nothing else there's the aquifers and those are getting drawn down pretty fast these days. Anyone capturing water in the Southwest is contributing to the water crisis there.