Golf v. Public: A Case of Degenerative Golf Development at Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Image via The Palm Beach Post
No Golf in Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jack Nicklaus said that 90% of a golf shot happens before you ever swing the club. Recent news saw the equivalent of a failed setup for public golf development in South Florida…
On August 19th, 2024, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced its “Great Outdoors Initiative” that included proposals to add 45 holes of golf, pickleball courts, and resort-style hotel lodging, all requiring about 1,000 acres of re-development in Jonathan Dickinson State Park – the largest state park in Southeast Florida and home to multiple protected species.
Within a week, over 100,000 had signed a petition to reject this proposal, while over 40,000 had joined a Facebook group called “Protect Jonathan Dickinson State Park” (started by Joe Namath’s daughter Jessica). Among the myriad opponents to the project included those with rainbow flags and banners of “don’t tread on me”, while multiple local Republican government officials were also quick to oppose the project. So, at least golf is bringing some folks together!
…but not the way we would like to see at Driving the Green.
Image via The Palm Beach Post
Those involved (or rumored to be involved) with the project quickly back-pedaled or outright denied their involvement, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The main organizational culprit appears to be non-profit Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, who shared this statement on their beta-edition website:
No golf in Jonathan Dickinson State Park
“Serving God and Country is our daily goal. That was the spirit for the idea to bring world class public golf to south east Florida, and donate all proceeds to support military and first responders’ families. Working with the state of Florida, we explored Jonathan Dickinson State Park at the location of a dilapidated military facility. We sought improvements that would invite families to enjoy the great game of golf, while honoring minority veterans and enhancing the natural beauty of Florida’s beloved environment. We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location. We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
- VR / Tuskegee Dunes Foundation
Among the three golf courses in plan for development would have been one Tiger Woods course and one Jack Nicklaus course, both presumably to be designed from a donated design fee. They would be “free gifts” to the public from golfing greats… but at what cost? As economists know, there is no such thing as a “free lunch”.
Here’s the obvious case against development:
To most of the public, golf looks like a game built for the few, rich and old, not for the many of the middle class. This re-development plan would likely require subsidies long-term, given that public golf costs taxpayers an average of $620k per course per year, and it would allocate at least 600 acres toward a game that relatively few have ever played.
Even if 600 acres represents less than 1% of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, any degree of re-development could threaten the entire erasure of those public lands into the future. It sets a precedent for more development – give an inch and they can take a mile – so to speak. With similar plans in place for other state parks, this was unlikely to be an isolated incident of commercializing public and naturalized lands. JD State Park is also home to protected habitat, particularly for scrub jays and gopher tortoises.
A photo below shows the potential impacts:
Image via The Palm Beach Post
To some, the worst result of this plan is how it reveals a layered onion of state government processes aimed at subverting the needs and voices of the public that its officials are (in theory) meant to represent. Multiple registered lobbyists were also linked to the proposal that appears designed for the profit of special interests.
The public hearing for discussing project approval was originally planned for Tuesday, August 27th from 3-4:00pm… but that was before public voices of reasonable concern prevailed.
Yet, to “give the devil its due”, there was a case for development:
While golf courses are roughly 80% public across the nation, just over 80% of golf courses in Southeast Florida are private, so access to affordable public golf in this densely populated area is limited. This project’s intention clearly came from an effort to address a market opportunity while supporting minority veterans (and according to the Great Outdoors proposal, building golf courses aligned with the ecological standards of Audubon International). In defense of Jack Nicklaus, he and Arnold Palmer both opposed similar plans to develop golf courses on Jonathan Dickinson State Park in 2011.
JD State Park is subsidized by the public and costs $4 per single occupant vehicle, so the park is not free for access and presumably pulls in less revenue than it could (otherwise there would be no reason for re-development). The plan would develop less than 1% of the park’s overall lands in support of providing greater access to public golf while raising awareness and funds to support minority veterans. The precedent land-use of JD State Park was as a WW2 military base (that later became a state park with protected natural areas). Charity group Folds of Honor was also linked to the plan (along with Tuskeegee Dunes), and was responsible for a successful implementation of this fundraising model through American Dunes Golf Course in Michigan (albeit not on state park lands).
With these nuances noted, this case is not a simple battle of “good” and “evil”, but rather reveals differences in sensitivity and awareness to the needs of the public.
Image via The Palm Beach Post
Here’s the case for a third option: developing Regenerative Golf
As a South Florida resident now, it encourages me to see my neighbors defending nature en masse against the throws of over-development. As a sustainability champion within golf, it also makes me sad to witness the general disconnection between public opinion of golf and what it is actually capable of providing under the right conditions (with a North Star of regenerative design). For over four years, we at Driving the Green have written about tangible examples of each of the following within golf:
Carbon-negative soil amendments that reduce water and inputs by 40%
Vegetative buffering systems that neutralize run-off and clean waterways
Golf resorts that grow food and integrate with local community giving
How the principles of regenerative agriculture can create regenerative golf courses
The mass protest and community discord surrounding the failed plans to develop this state park show encouraging signs of unity among progressives, libertarians, and conservatives who might normally disagree with one another. Hopefully, this shows how nature can connect even political opponents. Unfortunately, this case of unity also happened against golf rather than THROUGH golf, as we have endeavored to see a regenerative sport develop (via deepened partnerships between golf and nature).
Regenerative golf heals the players who play it along with the land/air/water resources within which it is played. It is a game for the flow state of the few AND for the needs of the many. Ideally, it comes from developing on brownfield sites and CREATING public lands, not redeveloping those that are already (scarcely) available.
The case of Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the “Great Outdoors Initiative” shows the importance of listening to the whispers of public opinion before they become shouts. Without proper stakeholder mapping and understanding of the site, golf development easily risks slipping into de-generation (and can suffer losses to either the quantity or quality of public and natural resources).
Regenerative Golf is for the NEEDS of the many, not just the flow state of the few. In the future, we will see golf courses uniting political opponents through regenerative development that gives a proactive voice to the people.
Here’s a brief “revisionist history” of how the plan might have been implemented in a regenerative fashion:
Build on “brownfield” land (and create a plan to heal it) – Those involved could have identified brownfield (already developed and degraded lands) from which to create a green development with protected habitat.
Understand the context – Prior to considering development, those involved could have mapped stakeholder opinions to source community needs bottom-up.
Earn 360 degree feedback through a fair and transparent process – Those involved could have offered total transparency (rather than opaquely denying involvement or sliding the approval process under the rug by scheduling in a time window when parents should be picking up their kids from local schools).
Honor the order of the context – Nature precedes golf, so golf must develop through respectful conservation of the source from which it springs. If golf opposes nature, then it opposes its own survival as a sport.
Links for Further Reading:
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2024/08/22/five-things-to-know-about-jonathan-dickinson-state-park-in-martin-county-florida/74890562007/
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/3afd277