Sean "Diddy" Combs (also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) has just listed his New Jersey home for $8.5 million. And, in the character of a true connoisseur of fine living and luxury real estate, the home has a coveted putting green installed in the back yard of the property.

Whoever buys this bad boy will have access to its swimming pool, two waterfalls, lighted tennis court, two story grand foyer, fire places, sweet mahogany-paneled library, seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, home theater, six-car garage, indoor racquetball court, and professional-grade gym.

And of course, this exquisite home just wouldn't be complete without an artificial grass putting green for the homeowner to enjoy at his fancy. A putting green is a good investment for homeowners. It increases property value, saves money on maintenance, and can be repurposed for a myriad of activities, including entertaining guests and playing with the kids or pets.

A preliminary recommendation of water reduction targets has been released by the State Water Resources Control Board. Their recommendations assign water use reduction targets for cities in proportion to how much water their respective residents use. The recommendations will be voted on next month. The reductions range from 10 to 35 percent and were calculated based on per-person, per-day water use in September 2014.  

Below are the biggest cities in each water reduction category, as ranked by total gallons of water used, listed with their summer per-capita daily consumption in gallons:

Amazon.com, electronic commerce company, has expanded its services to include connecting homeowners with landscape contractors. The site, Amazon Home Services, launched earlier this month and allows based businesses to sell their services through the website.

It may be in the very near future when artificial grass installers, too, are connected to homeowners looking to save money and water on their lawn care through Amazon's new portal. Amazon is already a seller of physical products, artificial grass being one of them, but now they're trying to make way into the services marketplace, competing with such companies like TaskRabbit, Angie's List and Uber.

For example, for roughly $120 you can have your lawn mowed by an Amazon-approved lawn maintenance contractor; and if you live in the appropriate service area, you can have your goat grazed it you so fancy. Amazon's revenue model is that it takes a percentage commission from all of the services sold through their site: 20 percent from the sale price of standard services, and 15 percent from custom services.

Will Amazon become the go-to website for artificial grass installers to connect with potential clients? Perhaps.

Immediately following Governor Jerry Brown's announcement that a 25% reduction in California's water usage is mandated, a good number of residents and homeowners in California agree that the state's approval of artificial grass is the beginning of a larger wave to come in the future. During his initial announcement, Governor Jerry Brown stated that the idea of having a nice little green grass lawn getting watered every day is a thing of the past.

The California Water Resources Control Board is scheduled to release its proposal for how they will achieve a 25% reduction in two weeks. The restrictions are to take effect on June 1, 2015.

Many are now not only open to but keen on converting their lawns to artificial grass. One homeowner in Orange County, for instance, says that she and her mother have been living in a house with a real grass lawn for 60 years. But as they went shopping this weekend they walked by an artificial grass supply store and her mother declared that artificial grass is the yard surfacing material of the future. Both she and her mother are open to installing artificial grass if keeping their current real grass lawn becomes unsustainable.

However, she said that she and her mother are not willing to go so far as to install drought-tolerant xeriscaping like cacti, etc., in their yard, because it doesn't provide the functionality that a fake grass lawn provides as far as being a suitable surface for the kids and the whole family to play and supporting physical activities.

Global Syn-Turf, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of artificial grass, participated in Watersavers Irrigation's Demo Day on April 3rd. The event took place at one of Watersavers Irrigation's warehouse stores. More than 100 Northern California irrigation and green industry professionals and consumers attended the event to test out the latest irrigation systems and landscaping supplies, and listen to presentations from top supply manufacturers.

"We've been selling artificial grass products for years now, so even before the event we had established ourselves in the region," said a GST rep. "However, ever since California's water crisis, and now Jerry Brown's announcement of mandatory water restrictions, we've become the definitive regional experts on artificial grass in California. We're receiving an unprecedented amount of interest from local contractors and municipalities who want to test our products."

With more than 95 gallons of water per day wasted on outdoor uses per household, consumers, contractors and dealers stand to benefit from artificial grass's advantages. According to the GST rep, Global Syn-Turf has the power to fundamentally transform the culture of the irrigation and green industries by making it easy for people to have a perfectly lush, verdant lawn without consuming precious resources.

The Global Syn-Turf team was on hand at the event to present the company's latest artificial grass innovations, such as Cashmere, an artificial grass product whose softness and flexibility is unmatched in the industry.

The Demo Day featured a number of different products and ideas from companies across the industry, ranging from efficient irrigation techniques to drought-tolerant landscaping alternatives. And since Demo Days are open to the public, the event was able to connect consumers with professional suppliers and distributors who share an interest in water-wise landscaping and irrigation.

"It was an honor to represent the artificial grass community at this event," said a GST rep. "As a wholesale manufacturer, having the chance to interact with the end-user face-to-face is quite special. It was a tremendous opportunity for our staff to meet people and companies in the landscape and irrigation ecosystem. We hope it will serve as a model for other events in the future."

This announcement comes at an exciting time for the young company, which was founded in 2009. In March 2015 the company was selected for the prestigious Best of Hayward Award in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category for 2015. Furthermore, earlier this month Global Syn-Turf participated in the Carmel Valley Garden Show in Carmel Valley, CA, representing the artificial grass industry in Northern California.

Global Syn-Turf, Inc., the leading artificial grass manufacturer, attended the 46th annual Carmel Valley Garden Show in Carmel Valley, CA, on April 3rd, where it showcased its drought-tolerant artificial grass products and industry expertise to the Northern California community. This eagerly anticipated event drew people from all over the region who came out for the exceptional vendors. The vendors, ranging from professional gardeners to flower arrangers to landscaping companies, displayed their latest products and methodologies. On display at Global Syn-Turf's booth were artificial grass samples, installation pamphlets and brochures.

"Global Syn-Turf has attended the Carmel Valley Garden Show for several years and was pleased once again to be a representative of the artificial grass industry in Northern California," said Rachel Brady, Global Syn-Turf's Sales and Marketing Manager. "This show is just one of the ways that Global Syn-Turf interacts with the Northern California community. Shows like this are essential for the development of our products and the artificial grass and landscaping industries. This hands-on experience encourages professionals and consumers alike to make the connection between their gardening and landscaping decisions and the environment and community."

Throughout the show, Global Syn-Turf and the show's participants were cognizant of California's water woes. And, due to Governor Jerry Brown's announcement last week of upcoming mandated water usage reduction, Global Syn-Turf's products were repeatedly noticed by visitors for their unique water efficiency.

"Since there's a drought right now, and we're facing a mandatory 25% reduction in water usage, it's critical to emphasize that there are opportunities to substitute water-intensive lawn materials with drought-tolerant materials like artificial grass -- which is just as beautiful as real grass," continued Rachel Brady. "The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average household uses 96 gallons of water per day on outdoor uses. And more than half of that water is used for watering lawns and gardens. A significant percentage of that excess quantity can be eliminated simply by installing artificial grass in yards. In short, artificial grass affords the utility and joy of having a lawn with none of the harmful side effects."

Rachel Brady said the greatest reward for Global Syn-Turf's participation in the show was seeing visitors' reaction to their drought-tolerant artificial grass products. He was approached throughout the first hours of the Carmel Valley Garden Show by visitors asking for tips on how to install artificial grass and about its various water-saving benefits.

Global Syn-Turf was founded in 2009. Since then, Global Syn-Turf have showcased their products annually, attracting more and more visitors each year. On the increasing popularity of artificial grass, Rachel Brady said, "The increased interest in Global Syn-Turf's products is a testament to the growth and success of the artificial grass industry and Global Syn-Turf as a company. In only in six years, artificial grass has gone from just a niche industry to being a part of the popular landscaping vernacular."

Turf Experts

Artificial turf is a new hit among baseball players. One high school team in Nevada had artificial turf installed in their baseball field and the players and coach love it. It cost the school a quarter of a million dollars to install the turf. This initial cost will be recouped later on in money they save on maintenance. The coach says that he's wanted to install the artificial turf in the baseball field for years.

The main reason they installed the artificial turf is the weather. During the stormy spring season, for example, the team had to spend countless hours waiting for the field to be repaired after rainfall. Now that they have artificial turf installed, they can be playing on the field in as little as an hour after rainfall.

The players love it too. The shortstop says that the artificial turf gives the field a uniform surface so that he can anticipate where the ball is going to go and how it will bounce on the field. No more bad hops. Also, when sliding into the base, he says it's like sliding on really nice grass every time.

The coach expects the artificial turf field to last 12 to 14 years.