Courses in Rockland County, N.Y. are being required to cut water usage by at least 10 percent in a measure that one superintendent sees as “the wave of the future.” In central Massachusetts, clubs are enjoying good business levels but have growing concern about course conditions.

The Scarsdale, N.Y. club has had a long-running dispute with the owners of an adjacent $3.7 million home who have sued over errant shots falling into their property and recently secured several rulings in their favor. “If we reach a point where clubs have to redo tees and holes [because of similar complaints], it could become a real financial burden,” says one golf industry executive.