The Club at Vistoso in Oro Valley, Arizona is currently closed and has an uncertain future (see article above, click to enlarge, from Explorer and Marana News, Jan 9, 2019, p. 6). I have played the course and it was very nice. The course was closed because the club could not pay its watering bill, a big issue in arid climates. The answer to this problem is simple: Reduce the watering! For a number of reasons, obvious solutions are more difficult than they seem at first. Below is my suggestion. My solution will change the game and players will have to get used to it. Some just won't.
The graphic above shows a satellite view of the 18th hole from the Golf Club at Vistoso. Let's say the course only watered the areas circled in green. That would cut the watering area by approximately 2/5th, reducing the $300,000 watering bill by 40% and saving the course about $144,000. Let's be clear what this would mean. The greens, the tee boxes and landing areas in the middle of fairways (except on par 3s) would be watered. The remainder of the holes would be (1) in the Winter, dormant Bermuda grass and (2) in the Summer, after the monsoons, Bermuda rough.
There really is no reason why there should be a watered strip of green grass between the tee box and the green. If your drive is poorly hit and just dribbles on to the fairway in front of the tee box, it should be a penalty. It was a bad shot. You should not expect to have a good lie. If your second shot lands anywhere other than on the green, it should also be a penalty, not as bad as being in a sand trap, but a penalty none the less. And, hitting off dormant Bermuda grass that has been mowed is really not that much of a penalty and is sometimes easier than hitting off closely mown fairways on Arizona courses.
Unfortunately, most players will not accept this solution. They want to see green and lot of it. My question for them is: Would you rather have the Golf Club at Vistoso stay open or would you rather see green everywhere? In any event, it is a Fiction that golf courses have to be heavily watered to the point of bankruptcy.
NOTE: Watering in the Winter could be eliminated entirely. If the entire course is planted in Bermuda grass, the grass will simply be dormant. It can be mowed as needed (not very often). The areas circled in green above could be dyed green. This solution has actually been tried and I have played on an Arizona course that did it (at least for the greens, the course was the El Conquistador in Oro Valley). The greens were rolled and I had no trouble putting on them. Players (customers) refused to accept it. The El Conquistador course was recently purchased by the City of Oro Valley. It has yet to turn a profit and may not make it. My solution would also apply to the El Conquistador, keep it open and retain profitability.
Historically, public courses in Arizona (and other arid climates) had sand greens treated with oil. I have played on one in the 1960s (Papago Park in Phoenix soon to become the U of A team course). You had to "rake" your path to the ball before putting. The greens smelled of motor oil. We could go back there but oil is currently far too valuable to waste on golf greens.
Finally, Arizona courses are typically overseeded with Rye grass in the Winter, closing the courses for a few weeks. Take a look sometime at the cost of a small bag of grass seed. Multiply that out for a golf course. Courses in arid climates are paying box-car loads of money every year to reseed courses, another substantial expense that could be eliminated. Fact: I would rather be hitting the ball on not-so-green courses that are open and profitable!
UPDATE: Oro Valley is currently considering a General Plan Amendment for Re-zoining the golf course (here).
