Niall:
The issue I have is that there were a few courses on my last visit to the UK and Ireland that were way too narrow -- that the gap between fairway and then the hay-like rough / gorse was encroaching upon the architecture to the point where drives had to be predictably archer-like straight with little in regards to playing angles.
You mention "adaption." That's fine. How bout the facilities realize that people playing such courses need more of a corridor than a single line road to play?
The issue is that width needs to be added to these courses -- alllow people to play recovery shots because hitting SW's laterally back out onto the fairway is the equivalent of hitting the shot into H20 or even OB.
Architecture needs to "tempt" the player at times. It makes no sense to have a wonderful design -- as in the case of Dunluce at Portrush and have hay-like rough / gorse no more than a few paces from where the fairway is. A bit more thought on how to elevate the architecture -- rather than the sheer torture would help these courses really shine even more brightly in my mind.
Matt,
I actually agree with a lot of what you say. There is nothing worse than a course that consistently doesn't give you the chance to play a recovery shot. The course I've not long joined not only has gorse but also heather flanking both sides of every hole. When the heather is in full bloom it is hard enough to find your ball never mind get it out in one stroke. i played in the medal last saturday and had to take a drop when my ball went a couple of feet in. Also as the holes largely play straight ahead it does feel claustrophobic at times with the need to play down a narrow corridor. As you say, you want to be tempted at times and to have an option which unfortunately this course doesn't really offer.
In my experience however very few links courses play the way that I have described the course above (which is not to say they are easy, particularly in a wind). I would respectfully suggest that if you were more experienced playing the types of courses you mention (and from your mention of Portmarnock and Portrush I assume that you were mainly playing links) you would have a better idea how to guage the hazard and then play appropriately. If that means taking an iron instead of a wood then so be it. What you've got to bear in mind is that on these types of courses the planting plays a large part in the strategy.
Where I absolutely can't agree with you is thought of adapting the course to suit your game. As I suggested in my earlier post, these course get plenty of regular play from the locals who have presumably adapted their games to suit rather than the other way round.
Niall