I agree with Andy. Golf has long been headed in a direction toward perfect conditions which imo implies perfect aesthetics as well. TV helped define what perfect is, but we were gonna get there anyway - its a by product of members' desires and supers' curiosity as to how far things can be pushed. Not only that, but a movement toward perfect conditions plays into higher wages for supers because of the connection to a higher budget - its been in teh interests of supers working with that sort of budget/wage connection to shoot for perfect. You could say its a match made in heaven. The bottom line is once golf started moving toward a lifestyle commodity than there was only one direction it could go with the immense amount of wealth that has been generated since WWII. While the concept didn't progress as far in GB&I as it did in the States (and I expect Brits and Irish watch tv!), the move toward perfection did gain a significant foothold during the 70s and 80s. For the most part I think the movement stalled with escalating prices (and hence rapidly rising dues) in the late 90s and beyond, but I think the concept of perfection will never quite die out in GB&I so long as golfers travel and there are courses trying to capture this money. While I can never understand (probably because I can get a golfing sun fix in the States every so often) leaving GB&I to take a golfing holiday in Spain, Portugal (and God forbid Turkey!), with prices rising in Europe the idea of this sort of holiday is losing its lustre even for the sun seekers who could care less about the golf. In recent years I have heard criticism about not getting value on the Iberian Peninsula (I have heard the same about Myrtle Beach as well) and average conditions are certainly part of this. So it would seem that GB&Iers at least are willing to pay some extra for conditioning/aesthetics (and sun), but they expect decent value which for many £60 green fees doesn't cut it.
Ciao