Aside from that, I have definitely heard from Mr Doak before that it normally is preferable to be the 2nd one in. From what I remember and understood the reasoning had much to do with taking a lot of the guess work out of the property/site. There are also clearly different expectations for both architect and developer.
Jaeger:
David Kidd and I were at a promotional event in Bandon years ago, and when someone asked if we would do anything differently with our courses in hindsight, David, right away, said "I'd go second," which drew a big laugh.
Normally, that's not really the case, as the first architect gets his choice of property to work with. Bandon is an exception to that rule, because Mr. Keiser didn't own the land for Pacific Dunes or Old Macdonald when David started the original course. [Blackwolf Run is another exception -- Mr. Kohler wouldn't let Mr. Dye work on the land for the middle holes of the River course until much later.]
The easy part of going second is that the other architect has figured out what's difficult about the site -- in Bandon, that was how not to clear the gorse. Plus, it's a lot easier to eat and sleep at the Bandon Dunes Resort or Barnbougle or the lodges at Dismal River, than it is to go back to a dingy rental home several miles from the site.