Here’s a thought experiment to consider as Rye ponders how to resolve the conflict over where or whether to provide more youth athletics playing fields. What if the city were suddenly to become the owner of a 126-acre green space and could make use of it in any way most popular with residents?

That’s one, “out of the box” way to think about the acreage currently occupied by the Rye Golf Club. And, in fact, an anonymous, detailed proposal to repurpose part of the 18-hole course as three playing fields has been sent to City Manager Greg Usry, who has said the proponents should come out of the shadows. “If they want to make a serious suggestion then they actually have to come and sit down with us.” In other words, he’d consider it.

As controversial as the idea might be — why else would its advocates prefer anonymity? — it’s worth asking some even more basic questions. Should the city-owned land be used as a quasi-private Club? Is golf the highest and best use for it? Might Whitby Castle — which along with the swimming pool and golf course provides restaurant and catering income to support the Golf Club — be sold?

Add to those grenades one other: might repurposing the golf course be an environmental upgrade that helps clean up the waters of Milton Harbor?

Let’s start with this given. The Rye Golf Club — at least in the period since a previous manager was convicted of financial shenanigans — has been well-managed. The course is considered a jewel, because of its magnificent water view. The pool and locker rooms are kept clean and bright.

But that doesn’t mean we should not consider other potential uses for the land.

The anonymous proposal sent to City Hall suggests that just 6.71 acres of 126 might be used for three playing fields. Is golf a highest and best use? It’s worth keeping in mind that Westchester County, to which Rye residents pay more in taxes than to the city, operates no fewer than seven county-owned courses, including several not far from Rye (Saxon Woods and Maple Moor). By devoting Rye land to a quasi-private course we provide an amenity not just for residents but for non-residents, who are welcome, though they pay a higher fee. In effect, we are continuing to act on a decision made decades ago, when the last of six private clubs on the site went bust and the city took over — in 1965. It’s been a long time since we revisited that choice.

It’s worth comparing ourselves to a peer community. Scarsdale, for instance, operates a municipal recreation complex on 7.6 acres, including “a four-pool complex with bathhouses,

concession stand, playground, sand volleyball court, basketball court, and gaga pit.” Season fees are modest — ranging from $143 to $420 depending on family size, with guests and daily admissions permitted. In contrast, Rye Golf’s “comprehensive” membership fee for residents is $7,192. Residents of modest means are obviously not invited.

Yes, a municipal recreation complex that would replace a quasi-public club might require support from general tax revenues. But it’s far more common for municipalities, especially those with substantial tax bases, to provide for outdoor recreation than to devote scarce public land to golf — or to a complementary restaurant/caterer.

Another factor worth considering is the effect of the golf course on the water quality of Milton Harbor. The New York Times reports that “the resources and chemicals needed for pristine emerald turf have made the sport an environmentalists’ bête noire. America’s roughly 16,000 golf courses use 1.5 billion gallons of water a day, according to the United States Golf Association, and are collectively treated with 100,000 tons of nitrogen, phos- phorus and potassium a year.”

Peter Linderoth, the director of Water Quality for Save the Sound, expresses particular concern about Rye Golf’s location — specifically the potential for nitrogen fertilizer runoff from the course to Milton Harbor. Save the Sound has found that 80 percent of the nitrogen in the Harbor’s water comes from fertilizer. Nitrogen, he adds, contributes to the growth of algae and “eutrophication,” as open water turns slowly into swamp, to the detriment of fish and shellfish — and boating.

“Fertilizer use on that course could have a very large impact on Milton Harbor,” he said.

RGC General Manager Chris Correale is sensitive to environ-mental issues, saying that “RGC uses best management practices when it comes to applying plant protectants and fertility, especially near sensitive waterways.” He asserted that “the water leaving Rye Golf Club is much cleaner for passing through our property because (the course’s) turfgrass is one of the best water filters.”

Save the Sound’s Linderoth dismisses that claim as implausible. “I’ve never heard anything like that about turf,” he said. He emphasized the importance of using organic fertilizer, native plants with deep root systems, and a buffer on the shoreline between the golf course — or for that matter, playing fields — and the Harbor. Asked about those specifics, Correale replied that “the Club is working on a best management practices document that highlights the Club’s success. We will be hiring a consulting firm to assist in the completion. Once completed, I would be happy to send it over.”

This all suggests one more even further out-of-the box idea: merging the Golf Club grounds with the adjoining Marshlands Preserve. The New York Times notes that municipalities across the country, including in Upstate New York, have in fact, chosen to “shutter” courses. “Golf courses around the country have been bought by land trusts, municipal- ities, and nonprofit groups and transformed into nature pre- serves, parks, and wetlands.”

This is not to endorse that idea or any other. The overarching point here is this: Let’s be open to any and all ideas that will allow us to make the highest and best use of our 126-acre green space between the Post Road and Milton Harbor.