Greg,
Do I read it right that you are focusing on the approaches to the green, or do you mean that in a general sense?
Either way, who can disagree with variety. I mean, the world sure doesn't need any more "bunker left, bunker right" greens with hole descriptions that say "Try to miss the bunkers here."
More seriously, it seems that for much of the history of at least American architecture, the emphasis is on punishing if you miss here or there, rather than using ground contours to encourage a particular or variety of shots. That is pretty one dimensional thinking!