Mr. Paul,
You and I both know that many gca's have spouted much BS in the name of marketing that was meant to intentionally mislead developers into believing that next to Jesus himself, they couldn't hire a higher authority on golf or life!
I have always believed that most gca marketing is intentional attempts at misrepresentation! At the very least, I believe that the length of any gca statement is inversely proportional to the actual thought that went into it. Based on your comment in a previous post:
It has always occured to me that if numerous of the old architects could read this website and see the things some of us say about them and what they were doing or saying or thinking they may all respond with something like:
"My Goodness, even we never realized things like that or thought of them."
So, in that sense, yes. Old DR probably never thought much about green contouring other than "make it drain and make the dirt balance." To have such nuances in the putting surfaces be attributed to anything other than faster greens, occaisional settling and the like may not be misunderstanding of Ross, but it is certainly "overthinking" of Ross, IMHO.
Now as to actual designs, rather than marketing, I am not sure. As to indivdual holes, either blind holes or wide open spaces with very limited targets based on contours would probably be the most obvious examples. Perhaps any kind of design that prevents an aerial shot from holding would be a "statement" green that the gca was trying to get us to return to the ground game. And, many golfers would misunderstand that.
Beyond actual play characteristics, there is the whimsey factor, although these are usually easy to understand. I have on a few occasions, tried to get bunkers shaped like an extended middle finger, but wasn't crafty enough to disguise it - when the owner figured it out, it was bulldozed away before construction finished! Hey, Desmond had his symbolism, and I have mine.
I once put some initials in bunker form and many never catch on to what they were. I kind of hoped that onl a few would, not all. I am sure that many gca's have put in personal touches that meant something only to them and a few others present at construction. Again, drawing from my personal experience, a superintendent once kept reshaping a bunker for easier maintenance. When I tried to shame him into leaving it by saying it looked like a pork chop he retorted that a pork chop was just the look he was going for. From time to time, I build a pork chop bunker in memory of that learning incident in my career. Its just for me and probably no one understands it, least of all the shapers when I try harder for that bunker to get built "just right" than any others!
I recall a Japanese gca who put a "snake" bunker near an apple tree. Symbolism there, no doubt, but obvious enough for anyone who is really looking to "get it." I always wondered if someone would put in six bunkers because he had six kids, or something like that. It could be out there.
AM used greens shaped like Africa and South America. However, I think that is just the kind of idea that might have popped into his head while looking at a map and needing inspiration for a new and different look, rather than some real symbolism requiring understanding......
It would probably be another case of "over thinking" but I bet you will be looking for all kinds of hidden symbolism next time you play!