Tom,
I never heard that you were too easy on anyone, so don't sweat that part of your reputation.
For that matter, you sound absolutely mainstream in that post.
Your discussion with Jack and company reminds me of discussions I have had with other tour pros. As an example, look at pictures of Colbert Hills 7, with an angled in carry bunker left and two bunkers right. He hated the carry bunker. I said it sets up draw aiming at the right side bunkers, and he said "what if my shot doesn't draw?"
Another CH story - we were in the Audubon Program, and trying to hold to 90 acres of turf, which meant some forced carries from the Championship tees over native prairie. Jim said we could go 210 yard downwind, and maybe 180 into the prevailing wind. One spring day we were out there when the wind was blowing from the north and he tested a few 210 yard carries and couldn't make them. Everything went back to a 180 yard carry, using Crenshaw's 40MPH (from the wrong direction) theory.
Other than a few specific things, most good players like what average players need. Adding/creating features that don't kil average golfers just makes sense.
As Tom mentions, a forced carry to a green doesn't bother good player, and they like the run up option (although lord knows they use it about as often as I use power tools). I agree with everthing Tom says, and , only have a forced carry to a green 1-3 times a round, greens across the line of play about the same, etc.
I will only pinch fw bunkers across from each other once or twice a round. Its as much for visual reasons as any. Its easy (even with staggered bunkers) to pinch them so tight that the view of the fw between them dissapears, which most golfers find uncomfortable.
I hate water on both sides of a fairway or green. Its nice to have a bailout one side or the other. It seems having different value hazards on either side sets up better strategy than equal value hazards on both sides.....
I try to leave the right side under 250 yards open on about 2/3 of the long holes, instead of going for a 50-50 balance. Some of that is practical, too. Since I put most paths right, fw hazards simply constrict traffic and cause turf wear.