[Kathryn E. Adams]

Okay Geoffrey, you win.  This is not a personal purity test.  Go play golf 
if you like to.  To be honest, its futile to base any social change 
movement on personal choices, unless personal redemption is what is being 
sold (aka Alcoholics Anonymous).

'tis much better to discuss the fact that golf course construction and 
maintenance is a piss poor use of an increasingly rare societal 
resource:  land.  In developed countries and urban areas, its land for 
housing in areas where the cost of housing is spiraling despite a 
recession.  In my community, it means land for the building of desegregated 
schools with modern amenities that actually have play structures and a 
small yard to run in.  Land for the creation of recreational facilities for 
use by people from all walks of life - from the private academy lacrosse 
team to the Hispanic soccer leagues.  Land for open space which is not 
maintained in an unnaturally grassy condition with excessive quantities of 
fresh water and toxic chemicals and accessable only to a priveleged few 
wealthy male persons on an exclusive basis.  If land is scarce and open 
space at a premium, then one can easily argue that there are much better 
ways to utilize and maintain it, and much more democratic ways to make it 
available to the public than building a golf course ... particularly a 
private golf course which limits the access of even wealthy women to its 
charms.

In developing countries, a resort for wealthy tourists that will benefit 
only mob bosses and wealthy locals while displacing and then exploiting the 
local population is hardly a land-use shift that makes sense from the 
standpoint of progressive and inclusive economic development.  And that 
comes before the ecologic disasters are factored in.  Or the work 
environment disasters of using disposable workers without personal 
protective equipment to apply long-banned (but still exported) pesticides 
and herbicides to maintain an unnatural meadow monoculture.

So go ahead.  Enjoy your game.  Your personal golfing really isn't the 
problem ... unless you let your enjoyment of the game delude you into 
believing that building more golf courses is a good thing for society, 
wealthy or not.  At least check it out before advocating for something 
which would and should be a low societal priority were it not for all of 
the big corporate money involved.

Kate

p.s. As for raising money, the Pan Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org) is a single 
state cycling event for a single cancer charity and it raised $13 million 
in a single two-day run last year.  Add up all the cycling events which 
raise money and you will soon realise how small that $30 million for the 
PGA is.  My sport can beat up your sport .... Pbbbbthhhht! <g>

on 03/20/02 Geoffrey Wrote:

"A small list to check off for those who seem to think that golf is the
anti-christ. If you can't check off all these items than please be quiet.

1: I don't drive a car
2: I don't wear any animal products as clothing (leather shoes, jackets,
etc)
3: I prefer ugly strip malls and/or housing projects over green space
4: I eat only plant products
5: I truly belive that farmers don't use pesticides and fertilizers
6: I've raised over 30 million dollars for charity in the last year just
like the PGA tour has."



***********************************************************************************************************
Kate Adams
Doctoral Candidate - Epidemiology
University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Department of Work Environment
***********************************************************************************************************
What passes for youthful idealism in modern America is the fervent belief that
  one's stock options will someday be worth something.
***********************************************************************************************************