Thirty men gathered at the Casa Loma Hotel in 1896 to plan the Redlands Country Club. By 1922 the sport was played on a “skinned-type” course of nine holes that was 2,129 yards. It had oil-sand greens and dirt fairways. Given the severe drought conditions now and with Gov. Gavin Newsom calling on residents to ramp up water conservation or face mandatory restrictions, could non-grass golf courses be far in the future? Not likely in this part of California where area courses use non-potable (non-drinking) water. But the water issue and land use are hot-button topics throughout the state, based on media reports and recent letters to the editor in the Los Angeles Times.