Jimmy:
Nearly all the changes you note are a reaction to a single real change, and to having been on the site twice more and getting to know it better.
The "real change" was the fact that Georgia Power (which actually owns the shoreline of all of Lake Oconee, including 30-100 feet of Harmony Club) is getting more stringent on clearing along the lakeshore, and did not want us to clear so many trees along the cove for the original par-3 8th hole.
I really wanted one hole on the front side to touch the lake, so I suggested the new 8th shown, which requires only a narrow clearing on the tee side ... and Georgia Power approved of this. It will probably be the most dramatic hole on the course, and it has a very secluded feel. It also has a much better background (out to the open lake) than the old 17th or a reversed version of the old 17th.
However, that one substantial change to the routing had a domino effect. To use the new eighth hole, we had to change the sixth and seventh and ninth and tenth. The changes add variety to the course: six is now a longer par 5 than anything on the old routing, seven a very short par 4, nine a good short par 5 up the hill, and ten a Redan-like par 3 back to the center of the routing. The tenth adds a hole to the routing, so we had one to give up, and changed the old fourth and fifth into a single hole instead.
Also, we've reversed the seventeenth and eighteenth so they play clockwise instead of counter-clockwise. The seventeenth, heading out toward the open lake, is a gorgeous view.
Most people don't realize how a slight change of priorities can lead to a significantly different routing. These two maps illustrate the concept nicely.
P.S. One of the other things I really like about the change is that the routing is more broken up into little "mini loops" of three or four holes which keep coming back to the starter's shack. Members will be able to choose several different loops if they want to play a couple more holes before dark.