I was fortunate to spend some time with Mark, both in St. Andrews just before they started shaping holes at Kingsbarns, and then years later in Mexico when we were going to work together on a third course for Cabo del Sol, which never came to be.
Mark was an interesting guy and totally immersed in golf course architecture. When we spent a couple of days together early on at Kingsbarns [which was set up by our mutual friend, Walter Woods], Mark said he wanted the course to be a collaboration between a bunch of different minds and wanted my input on some holes . . . but I was keenly aware that saying too much would be stepping on Kyle Phillips' toes. So, my only real input was to explain that great greens were not conceived on paper, and that many of the features he found so cool on The Old Course would be missing on a grading plan with 0.5 meter contour lines.
At Cabo, Mark wanted me to edit his routing for the golf course, instead of doing my own from scratch; and, he wanted the final say on every feature of every hole. I agreed, somewhat reluctantly, but I feared he might be difficult to work for because he wanted so much control over every aspect of the course; at the same time, I envied him for being in that position, and someday hope to be involved to that level on a course of my own making.
For better or for worse, we never had to test whether we would really get along on building a project. His ideas on infinity greens and framing very-long-distance views were pretty revolutionary*, and have influenced many courses built since; Mike Keiser was a big fan and looks for certain features because of Mark. From my experience with him, I would guess he does not get as much credit as he deserves for Kingsbarns and for Castle Stuart . . . I just can't see him as the kind of guy who let his architects run free.
* It's a shame we never got to build the short hole at Cabo del Sol that would have had El Arco looming in the background - even though it was somewhere around ten miles behind the green!