Ally:
I actually had no idea what Hawtree's method is. You are right, if it's just a construction contract, the contractor should not be making big decisions on what fairway contours to change or leave alone ... but sometimes they do provide valuable input.
I realize you are not an expert on this project, but since you're the one who noted that they are turfing the greens, do you know why they chose that approach vs. seeding? I would always prefer to seed everything, unless the grow-in window is just too short. I guess some people think that sodding the greens makes them come in faster so you can open sooner, but in my experience, it's the fairways or even the roughs, rather than the greens, that are usually the weakest link. The greens are built from perfect material, with perfect drainage, with no major surface drainage across them, and they are a relatively small area -- so grow-in is a breeze. Thirty or forty acres of fairway seeded over a period of months usually yield a couple of problem spots. I suppose Mr. Trump has the money to go out and fix those with sod, too.