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Armond Walker

Professor Julie Baker

ENGL 1301

13 April 2024

Rhetorical Strategies Used While Deciphering the Value of Golf Course Homes

In the article, “Golf courses and property prices: Is it the golf or the open space?”,

Geoffrey Propheter explains how the closure of a golf course affects the prices of homes that are

next to it. He uses the introduction portion of the article to establish the common theory behind

houses being sold at a premium due to their relative location around golf courses and also points

out the flaws within that theory because the characteristics that come with living next to a golf

course are completely overlooked. He tackles this claim by providing data from studies related to

the topic and ultimately choosing a specific study to reference. His analysis spreads across

factors that are not talked about, like golf courses being absent of negative externalities like noise

and congestion, which also would be the case with open space, making the presence of open

space the main reason houses are sold at a premium. Propheter effectively uses the rhetorical

methods of ethos, logos, and counterarguments to back up his claim of open space being the

reason house prices increase.

Propheter implements a counterargument when he talks about the main failing points in a

study conducted by Yates and Cowart. The study talks about homes being sold at a premium due

to them being located next to a golf course. He points out that the study inserts home prices in

levels instead of logs and explains that this is not reliable because the characteristics of a

property rarely produce linear effects to the price. He then goes on to explain the second flaw

within the study, stating that they do not take into account the golf course home’s price and the
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course’s open status. This means that the reader is not able to see the variation of the prices when

the golf course the house was adjacent to closes. Lastly, he says the study does not factor in the

house price trends before the golf course closure announcement. To counter this study, he

presents what he will be going over, which is the Park Hill Golf Course closing and how the

surrounding house prices were affected because of it. Including the flaws of the study and giving

the basis of his own study in the introduction chapter of this article gives the reader a chance to

better understand the question of house prices increasing because of their relationship with golf

courses.

On the other hand, the author effectively uses ethos strategies by utilizing the

difference-in-difference technique in the second chapter of the article. To promote credibility to

his audience, Propheter references multiple literature reviews on the same topic to increase his

understanding of the subject matter. For example, when he states “...there is an equally robust

literature that finds homes adjacent to large open spaces sell at a premium. For reviews of these

literatures, see Crompton and Nicholls (2019) and Crompton and Nicholls (2020), respectively”

(Propheter 245). This shows that the author recognizes and has done research on other articles

relating to the topic so he can build his own counterargument. Additionally, he mentions the

unique characteristics of the golf course he is basing his study on, such as it being owned by a

non-profit organization and it being protected by a conservation easement. This adds to his

validity as a writer and makes him seem like a valid source to receive information from.

Moving on from the ethos-related strategies, logos strategies are established to share

statistical data with the reader in this article. He explains the separate elements of the new study,

including a treated group of homes with an unobstructed view of the golf course and an untreated

group of homes that are across the street from the treated group. Adding to that, the author
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mentions that the houses were constructed by the same builder around similar times making the

comparisons easier and more accurate since there are no other factors such as age and build

quality affecting the price. Sticking to the study’s explanation, Propheter provides two figures to

help the readers understand the layout of all of the houses. One shows the location of the Park

Hill Golf Course and some of the surrounding areas, the other shows the neighborhood adjacent

to the golf course. By incorporating these methods of research, the author provides the reader

with real analytics that allows them to visualize how the relationship between home prices, golf

courses, and open space is analyzed. Adding onto the explanation of the study, the author

incorporates more logos strategies to promote logic and statistical analysis in the third portion of

the article. The results from the study are talked about in this portion and provide a lot of insight

towards the reality of the prices of homes and how they relate to whether the house is on an

active golf course. Propheter summarizes that the closure of the golf course did not affect the

price that home buyers were willing to pay because the buyers knew that the closed golf course

would turn into open space regardless. Also, it was noted that there was a 6.5% premium for the

homes that were located adjacent to the golf course as opposed to the homes located across the

street from it (Proheter 247). Adding these facts gives the reader a better understanding of the

author’s claim.

In conclusion, Geoffrey Propheter does a good job of using logos, ethos, and a solid

counterargument to effectively communicate his disapproval of the theory that homes adjacent to

golf courses sell at a premium because of the golf course. By addressing the flaws in previous

studies, referencing other pieces of literature, and sharing data from a more qualified study,

Propheter builds a convincing and reputable case. This helps him establish his legitimacy as an

author; therefore, making his readers more inclined to trust him and see him as a credible source.
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Work Cited

Propheter, Geoffrey. “Golf courses and property prices: Is it the golf or the open space?” Applied

Economics Letters (2022) https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2020.1861200