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GREENSBORO — So your lawn of the month looks more like the dust bowl of the year, a brown mess that practically crackles when you look at it, let alone walk on it.

But ride past the country club, and the sprinklers on the golf course are cranked up and the greens resemble tropical islands in a desert.

What gives?

The city's new water restrictions ban homeowners or businesses from using sprinklers on their grass — with stiff fines for violators — but allow golf courses and athletics fields to keep sprinkling, although at a reduced rate.

Allan Williams, director of the city's water resources department, said there are reasons to treat fields and golf courses differently — for now.

Keeping playing fields in good shape for children to play on isn't the same thing as maintaining a lawn for looks. And golf courses have a huge investment tied up in the grass on their greens, he said.

But some say it's time to cut off the spigots for everyone.

Greensboro resident Jim Dolweck has taken pains to reduce his water use, even installing a system that collects rainwater at his house.

But when he drives past the high school nearest his house, he sees a bright green football field, the result of sprinkling.

"It almost looks like a golf course," he said.

Dolweck points to long-range forecasts that call for a dry winter and that have likely taken any moisture from the tropics out of the picture.

"If we're not going to get any rain, they should quit completely," he said. "I know the city's going to ask me to stop."

Ultimately, it's a judgment call, Williams said.

"We're making a rationing decision that obviously some people don't agree with," Williams said. "We do the best we can."

But that doesn't mean the water will keep flowing if an already vicious drought tightens its grip.

If the city continues to stiffen restrictions, all irrigation could stop.

Williams said golf courses and ball fields aren't necessarily a huge drain on city reservoirs. He estimated they probably account for less than 3 percent of the city's total water use. Currently, the city uses about 35 million gallons a day.

For golf courses that rely on city water, navigating the restrictions, which now require them to reduce use by 60 percent, has been a challenge.

Doug Lowe, who is in charge of maintaining the courses at the Greensboro Country Club, said he stopped watering fairways in August and now has stopped watering tees as well.

The only thing left are the greens, and to stop watering those would be a disaster, he said. "That would put us out of business," Lowe said.

If the situation gets worse, the club would look at drilling wells, because abandoning the greens would mean huge repair costs.

Although the lack of water is draining the color from the fairways, the golfers who use the course haven't complained, he said.

"The members have been very understanding," Lowe said.

Lowe defended the decision to allow golf courses to water even as homeowners are cut out.

"Golf is a business," he said. "That's the difference between a homeowner and a private club or a public facility. ... In our view, golf courses are no different than nurseries or car washes or anything else. We are a thriving business that our clients depend on."

Jim Clontz, the athletics director at Western Guilford High School, said the school has cut back even beyond the 60 percent requirement.

That's not ideal for football.

"We have a dust bowl by the time Friday rolls around," Clontz said. "The lick from the ground is a little bit tougher."

Soon, he said, the restrictions won't be an issue, as football season ends and watering isn't as important.

Still, he also defends the decision to allow continued watering for now.

"I'd love to have a green lawn right now, but that's probably not as important in the grand scheme of things as it is to have a safe playing field for kids," he said.

But if the drought gets worse, all bets are off.

Dolweck remembers times when residents were asked to drop bricks in their toilets to cut back on water use.

If the rain doesn't fall, the bricks just might.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or at jhardin@news-record.com