If you look past the image and into the mind of a photographer you see sadness awash in ostentation. They are playing make believe. Make believe anyone cares.
There are rare examples such as Joe Bausch and Mark Kiely. Please show me one ostentatious photo in Joe’s collection of thousands.
http://myphillygolf.com/gallery.asp
Although I’m not familiar with Mark’s work I am with Joe’s and agree wholeheartedly as I’m a big fan. It’s the heavy handed post processing tricks that the influencers thrive on and use to get looks. To me they appear more like paintings than photographs with the colors just a bit too vivid to be believed. They are pretty and appeal to the masses but I think in all my years I’ve maybe seen a half dozen sunsets that compare to those I’m referencing. I’m not opposed to looking at captivating photos but realize after playing my share of golf courses that I’m rarely if ever going to be treated to an image with my own eyes the way I see it on an instagram page.The process alone is ostentatious from where I sit.
A big reason why you don't see what is on Instagram is that you aren't a bird flying over a course at dawn or dusk. Even with the crazy efforts to capture images and then process them, there are some good shots which reveal something of the playing nature of courses beyond their beauty.
My PoV is that golf wastes resources. To some degree that is true no matter how efficient clubs are because golf is an immensely luxurious game in terms of space. Yes, we have to be smarter in how resources are used as well as design courses and houses with this in mind. I do think this happens, but few care about these places. Social media covers the famous courses which inevitably waste resources.
Beyond resources, we need to find ways to make golf an essential amenity of communities. Make golf virtually bullet proof despite its faults. This happens now, but often times the golf becomes so essential that it runs wild and becomes more a money making machine. Anytime there are money making machines there is sure to be ostentatiousness close by. Unfortunately, golf is heavily linked to money and that is more the perception with the general public which know nothing about golf. Golfers can help reverse public opinion with a community caring attitude. However, I am not convinced golf is there yet. There are too many selfish golfers who care little about their neighbours or how the course can be an invaluable community asset.
And we haven't touched on the latest trend of building courses in far flung places with the goal of attracting air travellers from far flung places to survive. This is high art ostentatious.
It's a tricky balance. There is a ton of money in golf and people like to splash their cash on ostentatious stuff. This isn't new...and if it wasn't golf it would be something else. I don't see golf as special this way. It's a microcosm of society which is at least somewhat predicated on have and havenots. That ain't going to change soon.
Ciao