Adam
I think that is true, that they enjoyed the thrill of seeing the ball fly over those awesome hazards. Darwin remarked that the old layer-outers of links courses - when confronted by a big sandhill - had one response....they automatically wanted to play over it or create a hole that had to drive over it. He said they often took it too far, but the scientific or modern architects took it too far the other way, eliminating all blind shots and elimated what could be a great thrill if done in moderation, maybe once or twice a round. Most these holes Tommy pictured are long gone or redesigned, and most of that was done in teens, twenties and thirties. Personally I think these holes (or holes like them) would be thrilling today, perhaps not as demanding as before, but still fun.
And going back to the old days and the mentality of getting the ball airbourn and seeing the ball fly over these huge sandhills. If the airbourn shot over a sandhill was nirvana for them the antithesis was the topped drive, and in their eyes it could not go unpunished. There didn't seem to be much sympathy for the hack in the early years.