Makes me think, Joe, of the underlying ethos (then and now) that sees golf as a sport as opposed to a game, both for amateur-recreational golfers and pro-competitive ones alike.
The difference might be that, back then, these two distinct classes of golfers were treated alike in terms of what constituted a good golf course, with the amateur-recreational ones accepting (and accommodating themselves to) this treatment and the high scores that went with it.
Today, on the other hand, there’s a bifurcation both in golf course architecture and in the expectations held by the two classes of golfers, ie there is now one kind of good course for those who consider golf a sport, and a different kind of good course for those who consider golf a game.
I think the best architects and many thoughtful golfers (recreational & competitive ones alike) are trying to design and looking to play golf courses that bridge this divide, or transcend it altogether.
P