Think whatever you want to about wind and whether trees minimalize it and detract from the archtitecture or not. But trees do play a part in golf architecture when designed well and where they were designed to be.
I challenge any of you, not matter how accomplished you are as players to honestly state that a treeless unfettered wind attacked golf course is really any harder to play than a golf course in high and swirled winds (due to trees). It's vastly different, no doubt, (actually in the differences lies a very good thing for golf and its archtitecture)! But harder or more interesting or challenging?! Not to me. I love both challenges!
Pine Valley in the beginning? It may have been susceptible to a flatter, stronger more consistently directional wind! Now it may be susceptible to a more complex swirling wind. What's the big goddamn deal? Do you really or seriously think THAT has effected the architecture of Pine Valley.
This original remark about the trees at Pine Valley effecting the design of the golf course by minimalizing the challenge of the wind conditions and therefore Pine Valley has nothing much to do with shot trajectory is about the biggest load of crap I've heard in two or three years of Golfclubatlas.