Melvyn,
It isn't that I can't play the uneven lies - obviously I'm getting plenty of them prior to the 18th hole. But when offered a choice, why shouldn't I choose a strategy I'm comfortable with, even if it isn't the one the architect has envisioned for me?
If you so enjoy a challenge, let me ask you this: When you play the 17th, do you always aim for the pin, or do you sometimes play out to the right of the green? On my last visit I had a 7 iron from 170ish from the wispy rough on the left. The pin was directly over the Road Bunker, and from this angle there was no way to go around it to hit any portion of the green, so my caddie naturally advised me to play well to the right and try to get up and down. I ignored his advice and hit it straight over the bunker as high as I possibly could hoping to stop it on the green. I actually made about as good of an effort as I could hope for, I hit a towering shot straight over the bunker and the ball bounced several times and got to rolling while still on the green, before it just dribbled off the back. I was able to chip a 4 iron off the blacktop into the bank to kill it and ended up with a tap in par. I knew going in that it might not be physically possible for me to leave the ball on the green from where I was, but I'd never been in the bunker or on the road, and both seemed like they would be a more interesting place to play my third from than the green anyway. And it sure was fun to try, and to see the look on my caddy's face when it appeared for a moment as though I might have pulled it off!
Like I said, with today's equipment I'll try to drive 18, but if I can't I'd see no reason to play from uneven ground when there's a flat lie. Some might argue its bad strategy - after all, I have to go directly over the Valley of Sin and from that angle would be forced to play an aerial shot. I know how to play the running shot, I think I'm actually pretty good at it by American standards (I have to use it a lot since I drive into the trees on our tree-lined courses so often) but playing it on a hole with the VoS in front and OB behind? I think I'd rather hit a nice high SW, a shot I feel like I have more control over. That's a dangerous shot off a funky lie, but pretty simple off a flat lie.
At any rate, part of the challenge of golf is finding the strategy that works best for one's own game and psyche. The game would be quite boring to me if everyone was forced to play (or at least attempt to play) every hole with the same strategy, whether that's the architectural intent, the way Tiger plays the hole, or the way my dad plays the hole. I'm sure many would be quite frustrated if they were forced to play using my strategy - you can't imagine taking the easy way out on 18 by aiming at the 1st fairway, all those guys who care about shooting the lowest score above all else would be horrified at being forced to go for the green from where I was on 17...it may have turned out well for me that one time, but on my next visit it might cost me a triple. But I won't mind, it'll give me a great story!