$16 Billion AI Data Center Is Being Built Next to a Michigan Golf Course

$16 Billion AI Data Center Is Being Built Next to a Michigan Golf Course

The artificial intelligence boom is creating an unusual neighbor for golfers at Rustic Glen Golf Club: a $16 billion data center.

The 18-hole public course in Saline was recently purchased by Related Digital, the developer behind The Barn, a massive data center being built next to the property for OpenAI and Oracle.

The project has sparked significant controversy in the community because of its enormous demands for electricity and water, along with concerns about noise, traffic and its impact on the surrounding area.

For Rustic Glen General Manager and Head Professional Scott Schimmoeller, however, the biggest question is what the data center means for the future of the golf course.

So far, he says, the new owners have provided reassurance.

“Obviously, like anybody, I can see how a data center could be a concern,” Schimmoeller told GOLF. “But I’ve gotten good impressions about their intentions. From what I’ve heard, they are going to keep [Rustic Glen] as a golf course.”

Related Digital sent employees a letter after acquiring the course, saying its goal was to preserve Rustic Glen as a golf course and community amenity. The company also said there would be no layoffs and that it wanted to maintain continuity for golfers and employees.

Rustic Glen dates to the 1960s and expanded from nine holes to 18 in the 1990s. Former owners Corey Byron and Keith Giffin listed the course for $3.8 million earlier this year. The final sale price to Related Digital was not disclosed.

The acquisition comes as data-center developers increasingly look to large properties, including golf courses, for development opportunities. Last year, Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in Pennsylvania sold to a data-center developer for nearly $50 million.

At Rustic Glen, The Barn’s campus will border the golf course near the driving range and the second and third holes.

That raises another question: What will it be like to play golf next to a massive data center?

Data centers are known for their constant industrial hum, while the construction itself can dramatically change the surrounding landscape. Byron said he does not expect noise to become a major issue because of the size of the property.

For now, golfers appear more concerned with keeping the course open than with the massive project next door.

“There are a lot of people around here who don’t like the data center,” one Rustic Glen employee said. “But I haven’t heard golfers talking about it much. They mostly just seem happy that the course is still open.”

For Rustic Glen, the $16 billion AI data center may be an unusual neighbor, but the golf course isn’t going anywhere — at least for now.