No Water (Part 2)

     Yes, I know that the courses here in California and most of the west are getting brown due to lack of water. Sorry, but I am afraid that is just the way it is going to be.  We will get a wet year soon and the courses will come back. Until then, we need to just play the game we all love.
     There are some courses that have closed.  The Legends course at Diablo Grande in Patterson, Ca. has been closed for an indefinite time due to Diablo Grande's water allocations.  This is sad.  I have played both courses and I think the Legends is the best of the two courses. It was designed by Jack Nicklaus and Gene Sarazen with the course being the more picturesque and playable of the two courses. I have played the Ranch course and thought that it was not as beautiful and had some holes I really didn't think were very fair or even necessary. So much for my opinion.  At any rate, it is sad to see this, and I think there are more courses to follow, especially those that have two eighteen hole courses or 27 hole tracks. 
     I remember watching the British Open one year.  The course, I don't remember which, was brown with only patches and wisps of green. Even the greens were not green, but a brownish shade of yellow-green.  I wondered why that was until I asked a good golfing friend of mine that happened to be from Scotland. 
     The answer is very simple.  They don't irrigate the courses in most of the British Isles and Ireland because it rains so much. The courses don't need to be irrigated because of the rainfall. Most years it rains and rains, but some years the rains don't come. There is also the belief that golf should be played on natural terrain under natural conditions. It is to be played under all conditions, rain and drought included. I kind of agree with that.  We are spoiled with very green, highly irrigated courses.
      Here is my suggestion.  We need to just keep playing the game we love under whatever conditions.  Get used to the dry conditions, they are going to be with us for a time.  Enjoy the game and be patient.
     I have a new U-tube video out that I just finished last night.  It is about Bajamar Golf Resort in Ensenada, Mexico.  I am very proud of it and I took all the pictures as well as played the course.  You can find it on my U-tube page or on my website at my U-tube page on the website.  My web address is http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com.  I hope you enjoy the video and the website.  In the meantime, hit 'em long and straight and don't leave that birdie putt short.

Its pretty dry out there.