>> Golf courses were given water budgets.
Driving through suburban Las Vegas, one encounters lots of Sun City developments with golf courses with artificial waterfalls.
Coachella: Why Golf Courses Continue to Thrive in the Desert
https://www.yahoo.com/now/why-desert-golf-courses-artificial-130044826.html"Though its population is much smaller than the Las Vegas area, it gets more imported water."
Short version:
1. if you sink your own well deep enough, you're mostly allowed to do whatever you want with the water.
2. restrictions apply to potable water, not non-potable water brought in from the Colorado River via canals.