David:
Those playability issues are a matter of opinion. It's possible the holes are exactly the way I intended them to play, and they just don't suit your particular tastes [or the prejudices of your own golf game].
Definitely, that is part of my point, that is why I would encourage the architect to come back to the course to make changes, to remove the prejiduces of the owner/committee etc. The changes made should generally be where the course does not play like the architect intends it to. Intent is ,IMO, the major factor in the redesign process. I just don't belive that, no matter how good an architect is, the playing characteristics of the course will turn out 100% as he intended. I used St Andrews Beach as an example because of the dramatic contours in and around the small greens. Because of this, it would be a particularly difficult course for the playability to turn out exactly as intended.
The one thing your comment DOES do is get back to part of the problem with William's question, which is that the architect is only able to follow up to the extent that the client wants him to ... it's the client's course.
I would see the client issue as being no different to buildinga course from scratch or doing a re-desiign masterplan. THe better clients would give you more free reign.
[Of course, my co-designer for the course has a summer house 1/2 mile from this particular project, and they haven't called him about it, either. But he may not be so quick to return calls as the original developer fell apart owing each of us a lot more than a first-class ticket to Australia.
EDIT: An amusing story, a couple of years after the course openned but whilst still under the original ownership, Mike dropped in for the game. As he was about to lave the proshop, the golf manager said "So Mike, have you played here before?"
Of course, my co-designer for the course has a summer house 1/2 mile from this particular project, and they haven't called him about it, either. But he may not be so quick to return calls as the original developer fell apart owing each of us a lot more than a first-class ticket to Australia.
So when the course openned to much acclaim it was a Doak design but now that it gets a bit of criticism you now have a co-designer?
(Sorry, low blow)