Surprising detail in map of Melbourne

Two pictures highlighting numerous fairways attracted thousands of comments on a viral Reddit thread overnight.Some believed the wide expanses taken up for a single activity was “an amazing waste of space”, criticising the amount of resources required for upkeep and calling on the land to be used for better utilities like housing.“When you consider an average golf course takes up 150 acres and the maximum amount of people who can you use that space at any one time is 72 it is an amazing waste of space. Then when you consider how much water and resources are required to maintain the fairways and greens it is hard to justify golf courses in built up metropolitan areas,” user Magic_McLean said.“Convert all those courses to natural parkland and give the land back to all the people of Melbourne rather than just being play things for the rich.”However, most Melbourners weighing in were in favour of their city’s golf courses, with many appreciating the wealth of greenery adding variety to the sprawling suburbia.Additionally, courses are often placed in partial flood areas where housing cannot be built.“I’m very confused on this point? What about the space gyms take up? Or ‘private basketball stadiums’ or any other sporting space. Getting a tee time in Melbourne is pretty difficult on a weekend, so it’s not like it’s sitting unused,” one user weighed in.“Like a few people have said, a number of golf courses have been closed and made into town houses (Eastern at Doncaster, Chirnside Park, Croydon) as a local to the area it was much better when they were golf courses - but people demanded houses and that’s what they got.”“Yeah, if golf courses are the only way to protect land from overdevelopment I think their presence is justified. Parks (and sometimes golf courses too) too often turned into estates or routes for freeways,” another chimed in.In more Victorian golfing drama this week, the prestigious Royal Melbourne Golf Club is dealing with the destruction of nine of the club’s west course greens brought on by the misapplication of chemicals by greenkeepers.“It certainly wasn’t ideal,” general manager Damon Lonnie said via The Australian. “It’s not something you want to see occur.”