Ed, I'm not sure a golf hole from just a topo and never even seeing the site would, even in the hands of an experienced architect, yields the best. It is just one part of a multi-faceted approach. I need to see the vistas, the environment, the lay of the land, all the intangibles. But unfortunately, you need a starting point and when dealing with over 100 acres, and a topo is a good way to get the 2-D and 3-D spacial relationships down. Also, as the saying goes, the topo never lies. But your eyes can be tricked, so it's a good backstop. Finally, the topo may reveal some interesting features, general drainage patterns and severely sloped areas that you may wish to incorporate or stay away from.
Holes laid out on topo can be homeruns or need complete re-working once you see them in real time. The guys that are too rigid and relay solely on topo may not get the best but will probably get pretty good. At some point it comes down to field adaptation. Ross, remember, had seasoned field people and it was up to them to refine or adjust what he sent them. In some ways, not too much different than todays Pro Design Houses.