Mike / Paul:
I think we are really running in opposite directions now, unless your standard of "a really good golf course" is VERY high.
I think there are a lot of sites where a very good golf course can be built without moving dirt in the fairways of more than a couple of holes. There are hundreds of older courses that fit the bill; and of the 25 I've built, less than ten really needed much work other than greens, tees and bunkers.
That's why another definition of minimalism could be "restraint". I think there are a lot of sites which COULD be approached this way, but most architects believe they could make them even better with a pinch here, a tweak there, and so on all the way through. Eventually, you reach a point where it's all so perfectly worked out that you can feel it's no longer natural at all. As Mike said earlier, you have to give people "long natural earth forms" in order to win them over, and it's not as hard to do as everyone thinks.
You know how most shapers tend to over-polish their shapes? Architects over-polish their designs, too.