Isn't it amazing how courses in different climate zones can be built in such a similar manner with modern agronomics?
There are lush target golf courses around the world, regardless of climate. In Dubai, in Florida, in Ireland, in Ontario, etc. etc. In the Bend, OR area there are many "lush" courses and then there is Tetherow where the ground game is actually an element because it is fescue based.
The grass that is used obviously has a big impact on the style of game that is created - but aside from certain seaside, high desert, or heathland areas, it seems like the desire to build "ground game" courses has been minimal to non-existent over the past 50 years.
ie) if you take the number of golf courses built over that time period (thousands), and determine whether a course is "target" or "ground" based, the number of ground based courses is probably less than 1%.
Hopefully this changes in the next 50 years - with places like Rustic Canyon and Wolf Point becoming the norm.