Kyle (and to a lesser extent tommy Williamsen) -
You must not have spent much time as a high handicapper. There are numerous things within your posts that I would take issue with.
To say a high handicapper can't play golf is certainly an exaggeration. When I was playing somewhat regularly, say 3 times a month, my index was 22.something. It doesn't take much bad play to shot a 95 - a few penalty shots from bad tee shot, and a mediocre short game that does not save those strokes around the green that better golfers routinely save. If you don't have the time to practice (or probably more accurately, choose other things to do with precious time), you're not going to learn to save those strokes, and you're not going to stop hitting the occasional shot OB. (All of this applies to your post on course management as well, tommy - course management might save your friend a few strokes, and it might even take an idiot who goes for everything from 130 to 100 in a blink of an eye.)
Call me crazy, but here is my characterization of most 20-30 handicappers, based on my play and the observation of many golfers I've played with:
- lousy short game due to lack of practice (this is where there is a tremendous advantage to having played the game a lot as a youngster - this trait comes back quickly)
- incredibly wide range of misses - often short, occasionally (thought rarely) long, often way right, occasionally way left, plus throwing in the odd topped or fatted duff shot that goes maybe 10-20 yards, regardless of the club
- penchant for penalty shots, probably too often due to trying to make an heroic shot (with the logic being, I don't get out that often, might as well give it a shot, I have nothing to lose)
- indifferent putting (not grinding out every putt).
I can make a 170 yard carry pretty easily. I can make it with my 5 or 6 iron if you give me a few tries. The problem is that I can't do it consistently, so on a course with tons of forced carries, I'm going to occasionally duff one into the hazard, or I'm going to crank my 3 wood or driver OB while trying a 200 yard carry (which is well within my capabilities).
But, as I've often stated on here, most golfers want to have their egos stroked (see Tom D's sagacious post above), so architects throw in a bunch of 100-150 yard carries that are really not even that difficult for a high handicapper, but become problematic if they are frequent enough, to make the better golfer feel better about himself.
So, in closing, I'll say that
it's the better players with poor self esteem that are screwing us part time high handicappers! 
P.S. specifically to tommy - I take my medicine all the time. The problem is, even after taking my medicine, there's still a good chance I'm going to be further punished on a penal course.