Michael,
I would guess that part of the continuing allure of the classics in both literature and GCA are the timeless themes. Part is the art itself. In both arts, the classics represent a very small portion of the whole. I don’t think that has changed.
We are very fortunate indeed to be living in a true renaissance period of GCA. The courses that will likely be looked upon as fluff are most that were built from the 1940’s to the 1980’s and the majority that have been built since. “Hard par – easy bogey” is not a design philosophy that is based on any principles of design. It represents no underlying principles, strategic or otherwise, where the drawing board meets the land.
But, we are blessed to have a number of current architects (Doak, Eckenrode, Hanse, Poellet/Moore, Ken Kavanaugh, Brian Costello, Kidd, Coore & Crenshaw, etc., and more I'm sure) who have returned to the classic, timeless, strategic themes and principles, and are humble enough to allow Mother Nature to both have the upper hand in, and to act as the muse for their designs.
For my own tastes, most of the courses I am asked to review are either a disappointment or a travesty. Up until the last few years, there were very few new courses that inspired me; now, at least there are a few that meet my own criteria for what makes a timeless design. Fashions and fads change, art lasts. It is my own belief that many of today’s strategic and minimalist designs will last. None of those architects I’ve named (and probably many I have not listed) will ever be compared to Osteen.