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It's a common sight. Three young men, Javier, Carlos and Dino, lounging the way young cats do in a parking lot on a reasonably cool summer night in Albuquerque.

The bumper of Carlos' mid-'60s white Chevy pickup provides a leaning step for Dino.

It's not terribly late, just after 10 p.m., and the three of them have that odd little shine in the eyes, the golfer's high.

It's the parking lot of the Puerto del Sol golf course, and these three have just come off the lighted driving range.

They are not happy with the mayor - or the City Council, for that matter. Neither am I.

As problems go, the $200,000 budget shortfall for the city's municipal golf courses is no laughing matter. As problem-solving goes, the mayor's looking a TV camera dead in the eye and stating that the problem will be "solved" by pulling the plug on courses was utterly ridiculous.

"Hey, I'll hit balls in a city park if you want me to," Dino says. Such is the nature of the golfer.

"I learned to play golf here," he says. "After playing it on X-Box and the `Tiger Woods' game, I figured I'd better learn it for real."

"Same here," Carlos offers. "This is the best place to learn, but I like Los Altos a lot."

After the comparisons of all our various favorite holes, the question of the night, and the nut of the situation, is raising greens fees to support the addiction.

It gets a shrug from all three. My guess is that would be a common reaction from the majority of golfers in the city, who fully understand they are in the unique position of paying for their own narcotic.

That's what the City Council did not seem to grasp when they did not raise them last cycle to the recommended rate.

The idea that raising rates will reduce the number of golfers is a chuckle. The council clearly does not understand the nature of the addiction.

Find me any other cut of life where a young man goes from a video game to the real thing.

I'm not naive. The four municipal courses, Ladera, Los Altos, Arroyo del Oso and Puerto del Sol, aren't going anywhere. It would never happen.

But here's the thing. The courses are virtually self-funded, an enterprise budget in government parlance, and that's the opportunity.

Raise the rates. Players will play. End of problem. For now. The idea of asking every taxpayer in the city to pay for our fun might be worth exploring, but it's a tough sell.

Consider this from Dino, our X-Box duffer.

"I used to work at the airport, and it was amazing how many golf clubs came through on flights," he said.

Bingo.

In case anyone hasn't noticed, the tourism folks in Santa Fe have made great strides in getting New Mexico on the national map for the wandering golfer, whose numbers are legion.

Dino reminded me of one afternoon a few years ago when my neighbor in the driving range tee box was a businessman from Minneapolis. It was his first time in the city, and a bucket at a mile above sea level was irresistible.

The dude was practically beside himself, and not only because he could actually be outside in shirtsleeves in late fall. He was already making plans to return for a golf week with the family. But what really got him humming was the price. He just could not believe golf of this quality was so cheap.

Sometimes neither can I.

Golf is a steal here. It's also a point of entry for a lot of visitors that leads to any number of options, from many a return visit to a flat out move. Believe it.

Golf is a special game. It's been one of the great surprises of my adult life, having come to it about six years ago after a lifetime of indifference.

Let's stop hacking around here and raise the rates. The game is worth it.