Golf Digest's self-proclaimed "most important article we've ever published" wasn't big enough to knock a Tiger Woods' "three keys for every shot" instructional piece off the cover of its May issue.

But the magazine's in-depth spread on golf and the environment did raise some interesting debates. Like how there are environmentalists out there who passionately view golf as the bad guy, and how it's possible that maybe golf wasn't always meant to be the universal game we thought it was.

Golf has moved in lockstep as the official sport of capitalism in the last century and has been embraced around the globe. So it's hard to believe that just as its gotten off the ground in the former Eastern Bloc, Asia and the Middle East, it is even more rapidly on its way down.

But with energy and food costs skyrocketing, mixed with a trendier-than-ever green movement, golf courses have become a foe where fresh water is in high demand.

No matter what your thoughts on how serious a "carbon footprint" is in the balance of the earth, common sense tells us that barring substantial technological advancements in energy and water, where grass struggles to grow, golf faces the threat of extinction. As much as we're addicted to golf, we're probably not choosing it over our morning shower.

The destinations that could most immediately be affected are those in the desert southwest, where high-end golf courses are already spending $1 million a year on water alone. Even Hawaii is feeling more pressure to use less water on its island courses. You have to wonder if golf's most coveted destinations are even going to be around 20 years from now.

Rather than head towards the sunny South in the winter months, will golf-starved northerners simply stay in their basement and play Nintendo Wii, followed by a tanning bed? Or will their foursome make the switch to doubles tennis? Both options are a cheaper, more eco-friendly way to go - though we can all agree they are hardly as rewarding.

In the end, don't count out the golf and agriculture industry's ability to innovate. Maybe it will be developing turfs that need hardly any water and pesticides at all, or even building synthetic-turf golf courses not unlike so many of our pro football fields. Because I think we can all agree, a future without golf in our backyard isn't really a future we want.

As always, WorldGolf.com welcomes your comments.

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