The cash-for-grass program has existed for years in Southern California, but it reached a pinnacle this year, as the drought intensified and local water districts increased the size of the rebates, sometimes to as much as $4 a square foot. The Metropolitan Water District, which provides water to most of urban Southern California, has spent more than $450 million on rebates in the last two years — including the $4 million for Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club.

But the costly initiatives are not simply about conservation. In some ways, the program is an attempt to change the state’s outdoor aesthetic, shifting it away from the green lawns that for generations have been an emblem of the California dream — not only for residents but also for people who grew up watching shows like “The Brady Bunch” and “Melrose Place” and considered a perfect yard to be a Southern California birthright.

“I think people will look back at this time period and say this was the moment when we started a trend,” said Jeffrey Kightlinger, the general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, predicting that interest in lawn replacement will continue even if the rebates do not. After all, water is more expensive now, and there are fines for using too much.

Mr. Kightlinger thought that the additional $350 million allocated to the rebate program in the region for this year would last through December. Instead, it was claimed in months. At one point, the district was paying out $15 million in rebates each week.

“I don’t think anyone, anywhere, has spent this kind of money on consumer rebates, and we certainly won’t be able to sustain it going forward,” Mr. Kightlinger said. “It’s like anything else: You start here, and then eventually it becomes something you don’t have to pay for.”