I have had the great fortune of writing extensively about golf course architecture. Of course, my own thinking as to what constitutes good GCA writing has evolved along with my knowledge of the subject and my bank of experience, but here's how I personally try to approach it...
1. Do not write solely for the aficianado. The first step in making any art or craft or endeavor accessible and enjoyable is to provide a gateway into the vision and creativity of its practitioners. Most golfers have never had the opportunity to interview, walk a course or play golf with an architect. Therefore, they don't really have a frame of reference. The goal is to encourage a deeper view. I want to nail the intent of the architect much more than polish my interpretation of it.
2. Show, don't tell. My "aha!" moment came when I was walking Cherry Hills with the talented architect and historian Mark Fine some years back while he was working on a master plan for the club. Mark does his research. He was able to point out to me the physical instances where changes (some man-made, others the cumulative effects of time and play) to Flynn's original vision. I experienced what you might call a moment of clarity, and I've never looked at any golf course the same way since. Some months later, I got to play Riviera in the company of Mark, Ian Andrew and the inimitable Norm Klaparda. The strategies and options of the golf course absolutely enthralled me, to the point where golf game took on a new dimension. Since then, I have been lucky enough interview and even to play golf or walk courses with many/most of the top architects in the game. The highest goal of my writing is to be invisible enough to allow readers to get to know the architects and the works that have added so much to my own relationship with golf.
3. Demonstrate the relevance. Mark Fine and I wrote a series of columns for Golf Tips Magazine a few years back. The series focused on architecture, how to read it and how to put an understanding of architecture into your regular golf game. It was not an erudite exercise on the vision of artists; it was a here's what it is, why it matters and how it can enrich your experience with golf to understand it kind of thing. Very satisfying.
4. Entertain. It's my job to bring the subject to life as much as possible, without manipulating it. Good writing is good writing. Active voice. Detailed imagery. A real command of the intent of the piece - is it a first-person review or would intrusion by the author disrupt the story?
5. always, Always, ALWAYS remember, no one could give a Redan's shadow how you played or what you shot. As an old man once told me at a tournament in South Georgia, when I stood there recounting my round to him, "Tom, here's something to remember...half the people don't care what you shot, and the other half wish you had shot higher."