I read the book too over the holidays.
What did I learn from it?
I now realize that a course is only as good as the team that builds it. If a GCA does not a have a team to build interesting fairways and greens, then the course will suffer. Kidd had a great team for the Castle Course. So did Doak for Pacific Dunes.
My new hypothesis: "The great courses are ones that are designed and built by the same company."
I am sure that there are exceptions where a GCA designed a course on paper and then a construction company, such as Wadsworth, came in to build a great course.
http://www.wadsworthgolf.com/awards.php