Wayne:
Since mine (Machrihanish overseas, West Bend CC domestic) were both front nines, maybe I can lend some perspective. In the case of both courses, the particular circumstances of each course, moreso than the reasons you suggest, account for their merit.
Machrihanish's front nine is clearly laid out over better terrain. The large dunes, swales, hollows and the all-world tee shot on No. 1 (a Cape-like drive over the Atlantic Ocean) make for an awfully good run of holes. The back nine on this out-and-back links is further from the water, and the land while very good linksland, is not quite up to what the front nine offers.
In West Bend's case, it's tied mainly to who did the two nines. Langford and Moreau did the original nine, over some very good land, but the club declined to build all 18 of the original holes designed there. The back nine was built decades later by lesser talent. I suppose it would be easy to switch the nines -- both nines start and loop back to the clubhouse -- but the Langford-Moreau front nine does a good job of moving golfers out into the course.