I don't know if this is true or not, but it sounds like a real bummer of a way to approach a course with so much spunk.
I don't really agree with the premise! (Surprise surprise!
) Playing the way I and others have talked about isn't really a "bummer" because it leads to more birdie putts (by hitting more greens) and lower scores (on average). It raises the floor quite a bit, and really only barely lowers the ceiling on what you can shoot.
It's not a "bummer" to shoot lower scores.
All you "give up" is "going for it" on some stupid hero shots where the risk outweighs the reward. Sure, if you pull it off 20% of the time, you'll remember that 20% shot for a long time. I get that, and some people don't really care about their scores: they care about pulling off the hero shot, about the company, about the sights and sounds, the exercise… etc. There are many reasons to enjoy golf.
But when you're talking about
strategy… they're not mutually exclusive. You can still enjoy the exercise… and the company, and the sights and sounds… while shooting a lower score by employing proper strategy. So the only thing you give up is the "high risk" shot.
Are there courses, though, where playing "the right way" is also really fun? Where resisting temptation creates great joy?
Again, this pre-supposes that playing the right way is normally boring.
I greatly enjoyed the score I shot at Sand Valley. I ground (grinder?) my butt off for a little over four hours. It was deeply satisfying.
I got a DM on Twitter from a lurker here who told me that the only way to enjoy good golf course architecture (including courses built after 2000, which I don't totally understand) was to play hickory. I can kinda understand what he means, even if I don't totally agree.
For example, if there are bunkers left and right, and they're at the end of your driver range and 35 yards apart, but the right strategy is to lay up just short of them with your 3W, that's both the "classic strategic" choice and the modern-day strategic choice. Good players have generally
always played strategically. They've always played away from penalty shots, to the fat sides of greens, etc. They've just not really written about it as much as I and others have lately. They didn't have a codified system the way people have these days.