I think aesthetics and playability are (sometimes) significantly intertwined -- that the 'surface' and the 'substantive' go hand in hand, and that visuals can impact strategy. Here the first thing I noticed was the tree removal, behind the green. It doesn't seem to be very extensive pruning, and yet the lack of framing (as per the original hole) immediately makes it look like a harder hole, one that I'd be more tentative on and less aggressive in my shot selection.