At first, it sounds strange — but now it’s confirmed: the closer your home is to a golf course, the higher your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The study focused on residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin, where manicured golf courses are everywhere. To maintain that perfect grass, large amounts of chemicals are sprayed — often at concentrations many times higher than what’s allowed in Europe. These substances don’t just stay on the turf. They seep into the air, the water, and eventually into nearby homes.

Golf is becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. Millions of fans not only watch tournaments but also place bets on them. Bookmakers have responded quickly, expanding their betting lines to cover golf events. Our review of iGaming platforms confirmed this trend. For instance, the betting app from 1win, featured on a leading industry review site, has notably broadened its golf betting options — followed by Mostbet, 1xBet, and other major players.

Many fans have taken it a step further and started playing golf themselves. This led to a boom in golf course construction across nearly every U.S. city. Naturally, more people began living close to these venues. In most ways, it’s seen as a perk. But recent scientific findings suggest there may be serious downsides no one anticipated.

American researchers reviewed 25 years of medical records and cross-referenced Parkinson’s diagnoses with detailed maps of golf course locations. They focused on 419 individuals diagnosed with the disease and more than 5,000 healthy peers. Scientists tracked where participants lived in the years before symptoms appeared — and how close that was to a golf course. They also factored in water sources: well water, underground aquifers, or surface supply. The result was a clear correlation between location and risk.

Living within one mile of a golf course raised the odds of Parkinson’s by 126%. Within three miles, risk remained elevated. But homes located more than six miles away showed almost half the risk. The danger was especially high among those who sourced water from underground wells near golf courses — diagnoses were more frequent in those zones compared to neighboring areas without courses.

In the U.S., golf is a mainstream hobby — and the chemical load per course is significantly higher than in Europe. These aren’t just fertilizers. They’re harsh pesticides that can leach into the ground, travel through the air, and accumulate in the body — especially in densely built-up neighborhoods. This isn’t about handling chemicals directly. It’s about daily life nearby: stepping outside, taking a breath, turning on the tap.

The greatest risks occur in areas with porous soil, shallow bedrock, and groundwater sources that are easily contaminated. If a golf course is nearby, these conditions can allow chemicals to slip into the water supply. A person doesn’t have to play golf — or even step on the course — to be exposed. Microdoses may flow through the kitchen faucet for years without detection, until symptoms eventually emerge.

Researchers caution that this is not proof, only a strong correlation. Parkinson’s is a complex disease with no single cause. The study didn’t account for every possible factor — such as occupation, lifestyle, or diet. And nearly all participants were white, limiting how broadly the results can be applied. Still, even with these caveats, the link between golf course proximity and Parkinson’s risk looks compelling — especially given how many courses are scattered across the country.