Vaughn, "deterioration" cuts a wide swath. Are we talking "aged gracefully" or "repeatedly bastardized by committee and the Joneses?"
I do think the current restoration craze is fabulous with amazing results, at least visually. But I can't help but wondering if the memberships of Oakmont, Philly Cricket, Baltusrol, Wannamoisett, Beverly, Brook Hollow, Inverness and Rolling Green and others sat around the locker room wringing their hands and lamenting that their course had gone to hell in a hand basket and repeatedly asking themselves WWGD - What would Gil do?
My view is perhaps warped by my preference for and love of "good enough" golf architecture. I've finally returned to playing and enjoying the game and have no time for chin-wagging, beard-pulling or photographic documentation. Perhaps that seats me firmly at the rube/kid's table but that's okay - frankly, at day's end I find the cognoscenti boring and pretentious. I'm much more interested in WWAG - Where Would Arble Go?
Let me bring my initial thread to a single point: Is Looking Mountain lacking in any way?
Please let me know if you're headed to Nashville.
All the best,
Mike