Mike,
Believe it or not, I'm on page with everything you've said......with the exception of your idea that there's no need for expensive irrigation systems. And I don't know if you'll truly understand or appreciate the value and savings that I can GUARANTEE you are achieved through a properly designed, installed and maintained automatic irrigation system unless you work on or for a golf course at a managerial level. Maybe if you live where it rains alot the value doesn't seem as high, but I'll tell you for a fact that a top of the line irrigation system in California, where water quality and availability are becoming as valuable as GOLD is well worth the investment.
On the other topics, I am merely trying to make a point that much of what you see and dislike is merely the attempt of those of us who have to maintain a property AFTER the initial design and construction was completed to deal with all the poorly thought out things that are already implemented. As you can tell in my conversation with Tom, many of these "overkill" issues simply need to be squashed at conception, because once they've been built or implemented, it's often near impossible to go back. If a golf course never had bottled water or drinking fountains, the majority of people would know that and come up with their own solution. But the moment it's there, then you try to take it away, there is uproar, from members and/or public, and unfortnuately there always seems to surface a litigious individual or two that in turn makes the super or GMs life a living hell for trying to take away such a "perk" (or in their eyes "necessity"). Thus, it's easier (and sometimes cheaper) to just continue the way things are than try to make the change.
Similarly, if bunkers are designed with proper forethought from the beginning regarding slopes, grasses and irrigation needs, micro irrigation won't be necessary. ODG supers very well DID use walkmowers (you think they had mechanized triplexes way back in the day?), very similar to the push reel mowers you can use on your backyard today. If you don't want to use them, the approaches/surrounds need to be designed so that a larger machine (triplex) can mow it and get a proper quality of cut. Ballwashers? Get them the hell off the course. They're stupid. I hate them. Rub your ball on the grass or your towel to clean it off. But like the water, once they're there, good luck taking them away.
Here's another that very few have mentioned: yardage plates or markers on EVERYTHING. Biggest waste of time/money/labor/thought etc etc I've ever known. Most golfers think they couldn't live without them. How do the members of SFGC and Ballyneal et al. survive I wonder? Tee yardage monument have to be trimmed around. Sprinklers have to always be trimmed if used for yardage. 150 yd rocks/trees/etc often just look completely out of place. I will have to say that I thought yardage poles in the fairways were ridiculous. But I inherited them on the course I work at now and you know what? They're the best idea besides no marking at all that I know of. They're visible from everywhere, so there's no need to go searching, you can eyeball everything pretty easy. They're low maintenance, no trimming needed, just pull them, mow over the hole, then put them back. And they serve as shot line targets from the tee, which may not be necessary, but helps from having golfers clueless about the layout of the hole driving all the way up to mid fairway to see where the best spot to hit their drive should be then returning to the tee to hit.
So look, there's alot we could definetely do without. But what the focus should be from this point forward is to STOP any courses who don't have these distractions from implementing them. In the end, if you have these "perks" already in place, the bulk of the money has been spent installing and purchasing the items. The savings made in labor and mantenance are often minimal. MUCH more money could be saved by saving on water costs, cheaper fertilizer, using less pesitcides, etc. THOSE are the big ticket items. So while getting rid of the "pimping" may improve how you think the golf course looks and make you happy, if you're looking to save dollars, you're going to see very little savings from eliminating all the excess "stuff." Focus on the big picture, not the superfluous details and you'll have alot more success.