Tactical jump Boardwalk

Orrr you could just walk up the stairs and not be in sniper line of sight

 

You're not always going to have a sniper looking at you in courtyard...sometimes you'll just have enemies spawning on top of you instead!

But seriously, it's another option to get somewhere quickly. From that spot (which is a commonly traversed area), it's quicker to do that jump than it is to walk all the way around, so it could well be useful in many situations. Good find imo, cut him a little slack.