I think that was a blessing in disguise. I like the short 4 as much as the next guy, but I think the inherent "choice" -- essentially an iron or a wood off the tee -- can get monotonous quite quickly, and I think the architect can get a titch lackadaisical, lulled into letting the concept/template carry the day instead of working extra hard to find/create great golf holes that, over the course of the round, also provide variety and rhythm. Now that I think of it, I guess I *don't* actually like the short 4 as much as others do -- I think an entire course comprised of nothing but short 4s would be a poor/boring golf course.