It'll surely stress some of the more hard core addicted players. I'm sure Climo will have nicorette or similar on hand. I might buy a bunch to help struggling players, as I'll be at the entire tournament.
I personally don't mind smoking on the course, but I do hate picking up other peoples butts, which I do because I care about my courses and don't want to see trash laying around. When I was a smoker, I never ever littered a butt in my whole life. I just don't understand why so many idiots think its OK to make somebody else have to pick up their mouth trash. Snuff it out and stick it in your pocket (or handy bag, or whatever).
California has a terrible fire hazard in most places. And its not the smokers' fault, its the stupid fire suppression regime or fire control. If you don't burn it back, the sticks will grow over and when they do burn it'll always be one hell of an inferno. But of course they blame it on the smoker whose butt sparks the first embers.
Anyways, smoking is known to be highly addictive. It isn't a choice, once you're hooked. And quitting nicotine for some can be harder than any other known drug on the planet Earth. That's why they gov't can raise taxes so much on tobacco, and people keep smoking. If it wasn't addictive, you'd see far fewer people smoking after prices more than quadrupled over a decade or two. Now the states make more from smokers than the tobacco companies, and are in business exploiting a hideous addiction.
Furthermore, smoking is much more prevalent among the poor and working class. Thus, folks who like to kick around people who actually work for a living get a hard-on when they can attack smokers, too.