Are you ready for your favorite golf course to fall victim to AI?
The rise of artificial intelligence, and the need for massive climate-controlled structures to house the data that powers it, is directly threatening the existence of golf courses across the United States. One beloved public course in Pennsylvania was recently sold to make way for a 230-acre data center, while another in Virginia is on the chopping block. More golf courses are likely to close to make way for these enormous server-farm warehouses.
In August, the Dauphin County (Pa.) General Authority accepted a proposal from Texas-based Provident Realty/Harrisburg I LLC to purchase Dauphin Highlands Golf Course for $45.6 million.
“Provident Realty was selected from the six proposals submitted through a request-for-proposals process launched on February 19,” according to a PennLive Patriot-News report. “Provident will conduct a due diligence process before the deal can be finalized, which involves seeking the approval of a number of governmental and other entities.”
Dauphin Highlands sits on 228 acres above the Susquehanna River just southeast of Pennsylvania’s capital city of Harrisburg. It boasts a solid GolfPass Rating Index of 4.2 over 474 reviews. The Bill Love and Brian Ault design has been a popular County-owned municipal golf course since it opened in the mid-1990s. While some reviews have noted sluggish pace of play at times, the consensus seems to be that golfers enjoy the course layout and often find it in good condition.
“The staff said the awful words I was hoping not to hear,” reads the latest review of Dauphin Highlands. “Apparently the rumors are true and the course will be sold in 2027 to make room for a frickin’ data center. One of, if not the best public course in the area and it’s going away. I [can’t] overstate how angry this makes me. Go and play as often as you can before it’s a memory. Progress sucks sometimes.”
The hefty price tag Provident Realty/Harrisburg I LLC was willing to pay Harrisburg County for the course property evidently made it an offer too attractive to refuse. “Harrisburg I, LLC’s proposal is approximately 10 times higher than the recorded value of the land,” noted Barbara Zemlock, a member of the county board.
The Dauphin Highlands property is $13 million in debt, a sum that the ultimate purchase price will more than cover. County representatives who voted to approve the sale have suggested that some of the surplus could be used to increase funding for county schools. If the sale goes ahead and the data center is ultimately built, Dauphin Highlands will close at the end of the 2027 golf season.
A similar fate may await Hunting Hawk Golf Club, a public course in the suburbs of Richmond, Va. A recent proposal to Hanover County from developer HHHunt calls for the development of a 400-acre parcel of land that includes Hunting Hawk, including plans for a 900 MW data center.
The land on which Hunting Hawk sits has been eyed for development for years. HHHunt previously sought to build a 55-and-over community on the land, but was rebuffed by the county. But if the sizable premium paid to ultimately seal the fate of Dauphin Highlands is any indication, money may talk as loudly in Virginia as it has in Pennsylvania. And if that happens, golfers will be increasingly strapped for tee times in two large American cities.
Golf courses routinely come under fire from climate activists for their water usage. Earlier this year, a QZ.com article noted that data centers use as much as 41 times as much water as golf courses to regulate the temperature of their servers.
More golf course news and notes
A view over the water from Eglin AFB Golf Course Eglin AFB GC
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