John,
Cindy Nugent was a schoolteacher and I am sure that helped Dick out, esp. in the health insurance area. I don't think Killian's first wife ever worked, at least as near as I recall, so I don't think it was a requirement, but surely added to the quality of family life for the Nugents.
This probably ought to be a different thread, perhaps titled "the lifestyles of the not so rich and famous gca's." Having worked with Killian and Nugent from 1977-1983 (at the break up) I can attest there were some lean times, but they always paid their bills (and more importantly to me, payroll!)
I recall going there to interview in 1972-3 while still in HS. They had about six major projects going. By 1975 - after an oil crunch similar to the current one, they had very little. At least that little was Kemper Lakes, which opened in 1978. They really had no business hiring me, other than I had pestered them since age 12 or so, followed their program (LA degree, golf and landscape summer jobs) and they may have seen some potential and felt some obligation. Staff in 1972 was I think, 6. Staff never exceeded 4, plus occaisional summer kids after that.
Those staffing levels required at least one big project a year (new 18) and the rest of the time was filled in with Master Plans, smaller remodels, prelim planning for projects that never fly, and sometimes some special deals, like scorecard measuring and tree surveys (I still recall Bob O Link had just over 6000 trees)
I only bring it up because I am pretty sure that is fairly typical of the design biz then and now, to answer your question. My little two man office is in about the same situation now. About 1.5 18 hole courses, a few master plans, etc. Tree surveys and measuring have been taken over by others in the fringes of the gc biz. If you ask around, we are all a little thin in work right now, save the top five gca's maybe.
If you ask around a little further, you'll see that many in the biz - from gca's to photographers to contractors have actually taken on debt to stay in "glamorous" golf biz. I spent the years 2003-2007 working off the borrowing against my credit line accumulated in the slowdown after 9/11. Others had/have it much worse. I used to say I was running a biz to "buy myself" an upper middle class job......now I drop the "upper!"
Somehow, I doubt K and N ever went into huge debt to keep the office going. That generation simply didn't work that way. I could be wrong, as I never was privvy to financial info there.....