While private options of this amenity are plentiful, they are so expensive that they are out of reach for many even in our affluent area.

So government has jumped in to offer the opportunity at greatly reduced prices, making it available to almost everyone. It’s not clear what the impact of the public option has been on the private businesses involved.

We’re talking, of course, about golf courses.

Joining a private country club can cost tens of thousands of dollars in original membership fees, plus thousands in annual fees.

But around Northern Virginia, there are many public options for golf, some nationally acclaimed, where one can swing the clubs around 18 holes for under $30.

Offering access to recreational facilities at cost well below private options is a common activity for local governments. Water parks, indoor and outdoor pools, indoor and outdoor tennis are all available in our area at reduced prices via government involvement. Recreation centers provide an affordable alternative to health clubs.

Localities offer summer day camps of many varieties, all at a fraction of the cost of private camps.

Public colleges and universities offer lower cost tuition than private colleges and universities.

Publicly owned historic sites and park facilities compete with

restaurants and banquet halls to host weddings and other events.

Do these public options hold down the prices at private camps, private colleges, private country clubs? That’s unknown, but what we do know is that the public options make many things affordable and accessible to people who would not be able to afford them otherwise.

Meanwhile people continue to pay a premium for the amenities, services and added value and availability of the private options, keeping those businesses in business.

Governments are also offering a private option for many things that previously have been strictly free public goods. One example is roads.

A private company is widening the Beltway, 495, from the Virginia side of American Legion Bridge to the Springfield Mixing Bowl. When it’s finished, drivers will have the option to pay a significant toll to the company to ride in the "High Occupancy Toll" lanes to avoid the crowded but free lanes. Vehicles with at least three occupants will be able to ride in the new lanes for free.