Environmental protesters near Toulouse, in France, gave a whole new meaning to the title ‘crazy golf’ when they filled holes with cement to protest the exemption of greens from water bans during the country’s severe drought.

We should not be surprised: the French are never slow to show their displeasure either on a regional or national topic. They’ll be barricading fairways with their trucks next…

The action was extreme, but people who are passionate about their cause often upset others by making their point. However, maybe, we can learn from their actions.

Having targeted several courses their statement called golf the “leisure industry of the most privileged” – not the most original barb and one which continues to be aimed at the sport despite many PR campaigns designed to lose the ‘rich’ and ‘elitist’ tags. Facts are irrelevant; sometimes, perception is everything.

With droughts, seemingly, likely to be a regular issue in the coming decades it does suggest we, as an industry, need to more mindful of our water usage and – just as importantly – its perception to the non-golfing world.

Increasingly, large golf resorts have their own systems which ensure they do not need to turn to public water supplies during the hottest of spells. And some, like Valderrama, have built reservoirs to harvest winter rain water. But that course of action is not open to the majority of golf clubs, which suggests some radical thinking is required. Or is it?…

Perhaps, in hot summers, more clubs should irrigate just the tees and greens and allow the fairways to run hard and fast. It’s often good enough for the Open Championship, why not for the monthly medal? It’s not, actually, that radical, but it’s a change which could alleviate some of the external pressure and opprobrium aimed at the industry.

It also has the hallmarks of a PR success and golf needs one or two of those at the moment.