Player says American restaurants and golf courses waste too much water. He's especially peeved at restaurants, which often serve patrons water whether they want it or not.

"Every day, 150 million glasses of water are poured down the drain," Player says.

Player recently dined in a California restaurant. Sitting on the dining table was a sign that read, "Water Upon Request." Player smiled upon seeing the sign.

"I went to the manager and said, 'Thank you for doing this,’ " Player said.

Player says too many American golf courses overwater to maintain the green and lush look. He says the cost of irrigating golf courses is driving up the cost of the game.

"If you take the average amount of water that's put on a golf course in the United States and compare it to Scotland or anywhere in Britain, it's three times the amount," he contends.

Sooner or later, American golfers will be forced to change their minds about accepting less green on the golf course because golf courses won't be able to water as much as they do now, Player says. "The world is running out of water," he adds.

Player advocates more golf courses irrigate with recycled water, although only 12 percent of 18-hole golf courses do, according to the Golf Course Superintendents Association's Environmental Institute for Golf. By the year 2025, the world will be 20 percent short of freshwater, Player claims, adding that no golf course located in a populated area should be allowed to operate unless it uses recycled water.

"Once a week those courses would be allowed to flush greens with fresh water — but just the greens," Player says.

Player says he designed a course on his ranch in South Africa to use 60 percent less water for irrigation than a typical American golf course.

"My golf course is lush where it needs to be," he says.