What’s the solution? For starters, every golf course is precious and must be protected. We don’t have to justify their existence. Their open space is inherently a public benefit.

Certainly, let’s spread that benefit more equitably. To do so, we might look to the home of golf, the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. Every Sunday the course is open to the public, with no golf allowed.

Why not a rotating schedule of courses open to the public on Sundays and a similar plan for a full week in January?