This is an interesting point. I've been involved in many projects over the years and I can count on [less] than one hand how many owners of those projects don't care about the budget...and construction drawings and plans are what determines the budget. You've got to know how much earth you're going to move, how much and the size of drain pipe you're going to install, how many irrigation heads, acres of grass, sf of sod, greens and bunkers, etc. etc. The only way to determine this is by construction drawings. Of course, you allow some latitude, in the form of a contingency (usually 10-15%) to cover the cost of changes made in the field during construction.
In addition to this, almost no project can get the necessary permits and approvals to construct the course without submitting detailed construction drawings indicating buffer zones, protected areas, wetlands, off-site storm drainage locations, etc.
Generally, those specializing in golf construction acknowledge the fact that the plans are a "guideline" and there will be adjustments made in the field during the process. We have a saying in our business that the plans are "behind the seat of the truck" pretty quickly after mass grading is complete. But, some things you simply can't play with, without getting into a hailstorm of issues. If you've got a relatively flat site, you can't just lower the elevation of drain inlets and still make everything drain properly, unless you start adding ponds to take stormwater to, which can significantly elevate the budget, or change the strategy of the hole on which it's located. One of the most important things to watch for during a site visit in which the designer directs changes is the domino effect. The change he suggests may not appear at first glance to be that meaningful, but what else does that change impact?
A case in point occurred at HMB (I believe Pete G was present on this occasion), Art Hills wanted to move #16 closer to the cliff edge. This would appear to have very little impact on cost, but what Art failed to recognize immediately was a restriction the owner had to provide a minimum 60' buffer required by the CA Coastal Commission and, no drainage was permitted to run off the cliff. It all had to be captured and piped back to a collection point located within the property. In order to do that (even if the buffer zone wasn't required), we would have had to lower the elevation of the collection basin in order to drain the additional area he wanted to "pick up". Then we would have had to install an additional pump to discharge the lower collection basin. This seemingly insignificant change would have cost the owner an additional $150,000 (at least).
My point is, you've got to start with plans today, because you can't just "do what you want". Designers do deserve credit for what they create. Largely, because they aren't just given a blank canvas to paint on. There are a world of restrictions they have to deal with when planning a course, civil engineering, permit restrictions and/or requirements, drainage, availability of resources, and most importantly, owner's budgets to name just a few.
Most designers I've worked with don't "draw" their courses themselves. They have draftsmen on staff to generate the drawings reflecting their vision of the course. Then the civil engineers make sure the drawings comply with whatever restrictions may be imposed by governing authorities (Army Corp permits, environmental disturbance permits, wetland permits, etc). The process is infinitely more complicated than most people think. Hats off to them for what they do!
Randy