Neighborhoods near golf courses are often considered desirable locations, blending nature, leisure and nice views. However, a new study suggests that houses within a few miles of manicured fairways and greens may not be such hot property after all. There's more research that the upkeep of these green spaces poses a significant neurological health risk.

Setting out to see if there was a link between increased Parkinson's disease (PD) risk and living near a golf course, Barrow Neurological Institute and Mayo Clinic researchers conducted a population-based case-control study that is now garnering a lot of attention – both good and bad.

In the research, 419 PD cases and 5,113 matched controls were assessed, looking at 139 golf courses in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. After using an Odds Ratio (OR) statistical tool to adjust for variables such as age, sex, income, and location makeup (rural/urban), the numbers seemed to confirm the scientists' hypothesis.