The thread on Trump L.A. mentioned "tiered" or "terraced" holes, holes seemingly layered upon one another on a hillside site.
I'm familiar with a course in NJ that has a similar arrangement and was always curious why a nearby course, with a similar site/situation, was such a superior golf course.
I also remember reading what Donald Ross had to say about locating the clubhouse and the influence that had upon the resultant golf course.
Is there an example of an exception course with "tiered" or "terraced" holes, layered upon one another that traverse a hillside ?
Is that routing doomed to failure ?
In terms of playability, you seem to have two primary lies, ball above your feet, ball below your feet.
Hence, in terms of playability, it's not what one would look forward to.
Courses on hillsides that seem to have achieved some measure of success seem to have the clubhouse at the highest point with the opening and closing holes feeding down and back up to the clubhouse with the tiered/terraced holes on the flattest portion of the property.
Off the top of my head I can't recall one exceptional course with a back and forth routing on the side of a hill, can you ?