I take your point, Kalen, but to me the hard architecture and the playing conditions go hand-in-hand.
If a green has no hazard between you and the hole, but the grass short of the putting surface is 2" rough, is a run-up approach or ground-based short game recovery shot any more possible than if there is a burn there as in the OP?
Scott,
Your post hits very close to home on the other point I was trying to bring up. While most American courses probably play softer than links courses, softer is a relative term. I've played very very few courses that were a sloppy bog with shaggy fairways. The run-up shot is indeed very possible on these courses because while it is softer it isn't so bad that it can't be easily done.
I know many dislike swampy golf courses, you can put me in the same group.....its just that I haven't seen many courses that are actually this way. Lake Chabot in the bay area is the only one that comes to mind that regulary had these poor conditions in the winter.
So I don't think its a zero-sum game here where its an all or nothing on run-up shots...one just has to adjust for the softer conditions and hit the ball a bit harder!!
