Back in the mid-90s I was selling a tract of around 30+ acres on behalf of the FDIC in north Texas horse country. There was no financing available and it sat there at a very attractive price. I wanted to buy it badly, but was prevented by the seller's policies. It finally sold for less than $10k per acre to a guy who was going to excavate a large pond for fishing, build a modest house, and run a couple of horses and head of cattle on it.
I later learned that the area is horse country because the heavy sand content of the soil was great for their hoofs. Anyways, as the guy dug, he kept bringing up sand that he never expected. He learned that the sand could be sold for much more than the cost of excavation and hauling, and the lake got quite large. Reportedly, he made a couple $Million+ and built quite a nice property.
My bet is that as the price of sand goes up, so will its supply. I hear that something called Economics speaks to this. And if sand becomes too expensive for golf, then the minimalists of the world will get what they presently want.