Chris, I think we have to dial in what dramatic, and softened, means. I don't know if we are on the same page. Yes, The 2nd at SH has a dramatic backdrop. But, is the ground it's on severely steep? Not in my recollection. Yes the green was altered the first or second year, but it's still a wicked bugger if you play to the wrong place. I don't think the greens at DR were softened, as much as they were made better by becoming more interesting. That altering required more earth moving. Yes? They are now what I call thoughtful, because, depending on one's approach or angle into them, there are other ways to get to the hole locations, that before, were only pass/fail, or one dimensional questions. Now, When one is out of position, there's a creative way to get the job done. In the first iteration, the greens lacked any creative thinkers ability to out-think the ground. It was either pass or fail and no fun.
IMO, JN designs mis-understood what minimalism was all about back in 05-06'. They Must've thought it was not moving a lot of dirt. There was even a ridiculous dust up on here because someone questioned the statement that they only moved 10-15k yards. It was just a mis-understanding between posters, but, it became quite the point of contention. IMO, What was needed was to melt some of those dunes down, similar to how the 13th fairway now looks, and plays, because before, it was too steep for acceptable golfing ground. The current 6th hole is a blast, but, it does border on being on too severe ground. I would hate to see someone someday, not pay attention while they are driving their cart as they approach the LZ, that steep drop, on the right, looks like a potential oops spot. It could've easily been corrected with some fill, because it's blind from the teeing ground, and that's why I suspect they were too focused, on not moving any sand.
I hope that further explains my opinions on the subject matter.