Melvyn,
I enjoyed the article, thanks.
I know a few superintendents dealing with over 50 consecutive days of 100 degree heat here in Texas that might disagree that greenskeeping is getting easier, but I do agree that the technolgy these days is a double edged sword.
I actually used to form a quick opinion of supers based on how often I could reach them by phone in their office, i.e., I knew a good one couldn't do well without being out on the course most of the time. Now I have to figure in whether I hear wind in the background on their cell phones.
BTW, one example of where tech may or may not help in the face of adverse weather is the USGA rep who told me that approximately the same amount of courses lose their greens each year based on their site visits, and that number hasn't changed with the advent of USGA greens. The only common elements are hard winters and hard summers, not construction method, although they do still think the USGA method is better.