PATTERSON –

Diablo Grande’s 18-hole legends course is no longer receiving water.

“The department of water resources has given us a zero allocation of water,” said course manager Mike Dunlop.

Dunlop says the Western Hills Water District couldn’t secure enough water from the California Aqueduct for all the homes and amenities, plus the two 18-hole courses.

So the community development team decided to just keep the Ranch course open, while Legends will slowly turn from green to brown. The course is expected to close the first week of May, but that all depends on rainfall.

“We’re just hoping we get rain, and keep things going for as long as we can,” Dunlop said.

But some who live in the area feel the wrong course is closing, especially considering golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Gene Sarazen designed the Legends course

But Dunlop says keeping open the Ranch course is a better option because it’s adjacent to homes.

“All of the homes actually are on the Ranch side. So the decision was made to keep the water sheds, the views, everything on the Ranch golf course appealing to the homeowners” Dunlop said.

Unlike at other courses, this one does not use underground wells, but instead gets its water from the aqueduct. But as the spring and summer continue, brown courses could soon become more common.