Thanks Colin! I had a read though a few of them, and there is good insight there.
While re-reading one of the threads a thought came to my mind, specifically as it relates to this topic: by using the Pebble theory (or just taking what the land gives as in the example of the Renaissance as pointed to by Simon) and possibly having a difficult green at the end of a difficult hole, do you challenge a golfer mentally, not just for that hole, but for the rest of the round?! In other words, when considering to 'break the mould', does the designer think about challenging a golfers ability to compartmentalise shots and not let a 'silly' hole ruin the following holes? And could using a Pebble theory help disrupt a golfers mind in this way?
It could work the other way as well, if, for example, you put an easy green at the end of a short par-4. False sense of security? Hello long par-4 with crazy green on the next hole!
I think this is why it can be dangerous to create 18 WOW holes that in isolation look and play pretty, but what are they doing to the golfer throughout the round? How is their relationship ebbing and flowing off one another? Could the Pebble theory help this?