Jason -
The irony was that Old Tom Morris was playing partners with Allen Robertson at TOC. According to lore, they were undefeated at Four Ball.
Robertson was also the premiere maker of the featherie in the Auld Grey Toon. When technology in the Industrial Age permitted the mechanization stamping of rubber, the Gutta Percha was born. Old Tom was no fool. He backed the new and longer technology, and caused their partnership to dissolve as Robertson was protecting his business of cranking out two balls a day per ball maker.
As you well know, people usually do what is in their own self-interest. Sorry to be cynical here. If the main business is remodel/restore/lengthen, why dial the ball back? If the problem is the cost of land acquistion/long-term maintainance/less housing sites, "The Sky is Falling" and the John Cleese characters are running around with their hair on fire.
Yes, a lot of $ is spend to accomodate technology, but what about soft spikes & improvements in maintainance technologies?
JWK