Ed,
Having co-designed several courses with different tour pros, I can tell you that they hate lack of definition and having problems committing to a shot, which ruins more shots for them than anything. So, if they were paying my fee, I tended to design to their desires.....
It begs the point of who do you design for, naturally. However, I don't really know a lot of golfers who really like to be confused on their shots. They like to know the challenge, and overcome it with skill, if they have it.
My mentors Killian and Nugent also preferred greens with a nice backdrop, specifically a ridge of rough above the green so the golfer can determine exactly where the back of the green is. On occaision, I would try to have them do a skyline green, especially if there was nice tree backdrop, but they always changed their mind in the field.
So, I guess the tour pros and architects I've worked with drill that into my head, and I consider all of them my mentors, to one degree or another!