Charlie
I sincerely do not believe the answer now or in the future is to keep lengthening courses.
Some of my reasons are as follows.
1) Land is expensive and courses are not that cheap to built or maintain, so why add to the cost and burden the clubs with additional financial and maintenance headaches.
2) Modifying some of the early course is becoming difficult because of the land restrictions and availability to purchase more. Not to mention to upset the natural balance of the original courses.
3) There are additional consequences to modifying the existing courses, which generally bumps up the line to each hole, its from what I have seen not just a simple project and is effectively nearly a redesign, forgetting the cost and maintenance factors as mentioned, the disruption to the members or visitors which of course will be reflected in revenue. At this current period it would be a brave club that turns money from the greens.
My view is certainly old fashion and down to the old argument of challenging the golfer to consider each shot. Some describe it as penal and not strategic, but I sometimes wonder if there is seriously much difference. Of course you must forgive me because I am not a course designer.
I believe our courses are already long enough and in some place too long. I have never understood or agreed that there is much skill in hitting the long ball, many disagree, but most of those are the guys that can hit the ball these great distances. But this in my thread and my opinion so excuse me if I dismiss their claim that its takes skill.
The solution in my mind is simple, the designer positions his hazards in the areas of the course that currently facilitate the distance shot forcing the golfer to be more strategic in his game and mind set. Shorter more accurate play being the order of the day, this I believe would create minimal changes at or around the Greens, restricting the hazard modification to the main fairways.
I apologise for the oversimplification, but now is not the time to add serious burden in disruption or costs to clubs.
In short I do not believe that we can continue extending the courses indefinitely, mods to the ball is as close as the moon which is slowly moving away from the Earth each year. The revised courses would IMHO regenerate the fun, challenge and excitement in golf that caught the imagination of the 19th Century public to try golf. It may well bring in more numbers and perhaps require more on site training and lessons to take full advantage of the courses.
But then we have to ask ourselves why we play the game in the first place
before considering the way forward – for me its brains over brawn.
Melvyn