Mark,
I agree with the your opinion on "fairness". My opinion is that anything done to maufature fairness in new course is probably aimed at speeding up play rather than making the course more fun to play.
I will be the first to admit that I have been frustrated or annoyed by certain shots. On the other hand, what makes a course fun to play over and over again is all of the nuance that can sometimes create a seemingly unfair condition. A course that is designed to be ultimately "fair" could become more boring to play over time after you figure out the fair play on every hole.