Many of the great courses in the UK demand the ground game to be successful, but if you look closely, they don't demand it on EVERY hole.
A few examples of this would be
St. Andrews hole #1, and hole #11
Turnberry hole #16
Royal Portrush hole #9
RCD hole #2
Basically, even at links courses, a wee burn will ask the player to take it in high. Thus, as TEPaul suggests, the eelement of ground game should be asked of the player in many cases, but not on EVERY occasion.
Us courses, IMHO, oversoak the courses because of PEER PRESSURE, and the need to appease the members/public. Look at old footage of any tournament - even the Masters, and you will see brown/green conditions. Why can't we get back to this? The unpredictability of British golf is what is so appealing, when you hit a tee shot with side spin, and don't know how much trouble it will "roll" in to, until the ball actually stops. In the US, a wayward shot stops so quickly that it actually makes it easier to score!
I'm not a fan of the "hign rough, slick greens" formula, and by reading TEPaul, I think he agrees.