Steven Collins,
You say, "Never in my life will I get a chance to play courses like Pebble, Cypress, Merion, Oakmont, Pine Valley, etc. I don't make enough money and my social circle doesn't have the connections that would allow me if I could."
I'm a 425+ pound, working class electrician from La Habra, California, what makes me any different?
The book that inspired me the most about golf architecture--my very first book--"The World Atlas of Golf" which I bought for $10.00 brand new, is worn at the edges from looking at courses I would never have the chance to see or play. I would always say to myself, "How do these people who write about the courses in this book, get to play them?" I was totally enthralled in looking at every one of those wonderful colored illustrations hoping, wishing, studying what made these courses so great. I spent years dreaming of playing the one I looked at the most--The Old Course of St. Andrews, one of the GREAT places where anyone can go and play if they desire to go the distance.
GO THE DISTANCE!
When I say that I mean, go there to see what this architecture stuff is all about. You don't have to play to actually see what is going on either. I don't know where you live, but say if it was in Ohio, make it apoint to see all of the Great old Donald Ross designs that are seemingly throughout the state. If they are private, call up the superintendent and ask him if it would be ok if you got a tour of the course. I don't think for one second he would turn you down, not if you are wanting to see what kind of golf architecture the place contained.
I worked my ass off for 5 months solid-seven days a week, 12 hours a day to finally afford my trip to Scotland, which wasn't your typical 7-10 day excursion. It was 3 weeks of learning who, what and why the Old Course is, and the thing I found out the most is you don't even have to play to learn it! You can see much more by just observing! In that three weeks there I played only two of the biggies Carnoustie once, and The Old Course-four times. I played the Eden, New, Jubilee, Lundin the rest of those times because that is what I could afford, and then taking the rest of the time to go observe people playing the Old Course on every hole, everyday.
I came back more incensed then ever (This was 1996) and awaiting me was the boom of the internet, and the fact that there were actually people out there that had a love of this stuff just like me. Do you actually think for one second that the social circle of friends I have outside of the internet/the group I learned to play golf with, even have a clue how great the National Golf Links or Pine Valley really is? Of course not, nor will they ever simply because they "chose the blue pill over the red pill" which enables them to see why these courses are the way they are, as well as who made them.
Simply put, they don't care, so why should they ever want to play anywhere else in their minds other then the courses that are accessible to them. It is a bone of contention between one of my best friends, who actually thinks there is genius in the architectural tasteless designs of Ted Robinson's waterpresentations, and has no understanding of the stark natural beauty of Rustic Canyon, and its phenominal architecture. He is for the most part an American that is blinded by all of the bullshit, and thinks Augusta National is a Great golf course, yet has no idea why. (He hasn't even seen it in person)
In these 7 years I have been frequenting the internet, I have made friendships with people that go far beyond the ones that have known me my whole life. My cousin, who is like the closest person to me in this world, said to me last night, "You know how I feel about playing golf courses that are on television, and I said back to him, "Joe, with that attitude, I'm never going to be able to take you to any of the golf courses I tell you about, and that I hold so dear....." and that is the sad fact, I won't simply because as much as I love playing golf with my cousin, as much as he is trying to understand why these courses are so great, its still from the American mainstream mindset that it's gotta be good because its on television. It leaves a pit in my stomach.
So in closing, if you want to see them, you have it with-in your power to do so. The question is why you do want to see them. If it is simply because you want to add them to your list of courses played, well then, the list will remain short for many years. If it's because you want to learn whythey are great, well then the world is yours.
It can't get any simpler then that.