I met Herb Kohler right when the first golf course at Blackwolf Run was getting started.
He was building the course
a) as an amenity to The American Club, which was already there, and
b) as recreation for his employees.
Herb was not a golfer at all at that time, but he became intrigued with the personality and vision of Pete Dye, who saw something world-class was possible there, and that got Herb thinking. All the rest of it just evolved from there. I'm not sure if that makes him the greatest visionary.
I've known Dick Youngscap for a couple of years longer than Mr. Kohler. When the Dyes were building Firethorn I don't think Dick was envisioning a golf course in the Sand Hills -- Ron Whitten did, and eventually he talked Dick into that dream. Dick was the practical guy who could figure out how to make it work, and that's more important than the visionary anyway.
I don't believe that the success of Kohler had ANYTHING to do with Mike Keiser's development of Bandon Dunes, but I think that the success of Sand Hills had a lot to do with it, particularly since Mike is close to Youngscap. Mike wanted to build a great seaside golf course, and when the right land turned out to be in a very very remote location, he checked to make sure it was somewhat practical to operate, and developed the necessary resort operation to make it successful. But, I think he might have built the first golf course even if didn't think it would be really successful.
Julian Robertson is a visionary too. Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers may not be profitable for ten years or more, but he wants to do them, and he has faith that eventually people from all over the world will come to admire the charms of New Zealand in the same way he has. And, unlike the rest of the people we're discussing, Julian can afford to invest in something more far-reaching than his own lifetime. You don't see many people willing to do that.