Chris,
Let's be clear, I only find Mr. Fazio's "restoration" work, the reasons for undertaking projects free of charge and his distain for the old architects to be distasteful. In particular, his recent remarks about MacKenzie on the Golf Channel point to someone with either questionable motives or just a great deal of disrespect. I do not feel that disparaging dead architects is tasteful or productive, particularly when there is so much to be learned from their work to better the art of course design.
I'm indifferent to the Fazio style of design because I don't find the courses I've seen or played to be interesting. Interest comes from options or unusual features that throw you off a bit and ask you to imagine a certain kind of shot. I still remember how bored Brad Klein and I were playing Pelican Hill...that's about all I remember from the course besides the excessive tree planting. Caves Valley is a magnificent place, but are the holes memorable, interesting and worthy of discussion? I can't say that they are in my view. Certainly, Fazio courses appeal to a large audience of golfers, and I'm glad that people enjoy his work and are willing to pay handsomely to play or live on a Fazio course.
And from an architects perspective, well, working on all aspects of just one design for almost three years now does make me a bit suspicious of architects who declare that they do great work, particularly when they do nearly 9 courses a year on average. First, the self-important declaration of greatness by any architect is pretty embarassing. I may think a hole that Gil and Jim and I worked on is interesting, but the golfers will be the judge of that. Second, I think that if you want to create truly fun, interesting golf, it takes a lot of time in the field pondering things and a memory of classic design ideas to really get the most out of a property. World Woods Pine Barrens is easily the most impressive of Fazio's courses I've seen, and I would guess based on what I've learned, that the attention to detail there and the interesting holes are the result of someone with a great imagination spending a lot of time in the field.
Finally, it's just a matter of different takes on the game and aesthetics. Since it's going to rain tonight, I'm heading out the door now to go out to Rustic Canyon to transplant some yuccas and coastal sage bushes I've had my eye on for the last few weeks, and they'll probably end up in a bunker face or a bunker island. I would guess that Mr. Fazio would probably think that's pretty silly stuff to be spending time on, but again, it's just a matter of different approaches, different tastes.
Regards,
Geoff