Aaron,
Did Dave really say that most golf courses aerate far too infrequently? He gets around quite a bit, but that's a pretty strong comment.
Here's my take, If I manage lean turf on free draining soil and use deep watering techniques (an aerification process itself with no disruption) then I may not have to aerify all that much. But if I grow lush, over watered, over fed turf that is cut within a millimeter of its life on a regular basis, then I probably can't aerify enough.
Don't think plugs spread about on the ground, think air in the rootzone's soil pores. Whatever frequency of aerification, and whatever method used, which keeps thatch in check (aerification is just one part of that process) and air in the rootzone is the right program for the turf.