Subtlety is deemed subtle for a reason, because it isn't obvious and reveals its essence (or that which it is 'hiding') only over time; or, as manifested on a golf course, only over repeated plays. There is much that is charming about subtlety, that subtle little canting of the fairway, left to right, starting 230 yards off the tee with a green that cants the other way and opens up on the left. One of its charms is historical, a reminder of the classic old courses and the works of the old great architects, and of the once-common reality of the home club/membership, a course played regularly enough to discover its subtleties. Its opposite, the spectacular, has another kind of charm: it is dependent not at all on repeated play, and has little historical resonance. Instead, it speaks of the modern game, and of the retail golfer, and of daily-fees and housing developments. In a way, the spectacular has actually become quite common, in the most derogatory sense of that word. But all that makes it, IMO, not a whit less valid, or golfy, or challenging or fun than the subtle -- at least not necessarily or inherently so, and at least not to a goodly number, maybe ever the greater part, of today's golfers. Yes, Myrna Loy and Rosalind Russell were not as spectacularly beautiful as Grace Kelly and Rita Hayworth, and if I had a choice (ha, ha) I'd probably still pick Myrna in her "The Thin Man" stage or Rosalind in 'His Girl Friday". But that doesn't mean I'd want to throw Grace Kelly and Rita Hayworth under a bus. Maybe they do get a far greater share of the fame and accolades than I would want, but that doesn't mean they don't deserve it.
Oh sweet Mary, what has become of me....
Peter