Does this pressure from the money people strip some of what you would call the "art" of what you do? Maybe an example would be, given your last project, would you have done it differently if the client said, "Here's the land, tell me what it cost and what it looks like when you get finished."?
Brad,
Yeah, the City of Carrollton at Indian Creek and Jerry Jones at Cowboys told me not to build "goofy greens." Obviously, I toned them down......
Seriously, my best courses have been the ones where I get a broad general idea from the Owner and they let me go my way for the most part. Throughout the project, a lot of people get involved, such as the super, the management company, etc. Each has their own ideas, usually more that the Owner, because of their expertise. When enough people get involved, the pressure to make the project more conforming starts to grow.
I recall an article in the auto trade years ago, where they showed the design process of a car for GM. The designers created a real cool concept car. Then the marketeers started wondering if it was "too hip" for their aging demographics. Then, the engineers chimed in with the supposed need to use as many existing parts as possible. Lastly, the stale old management didn't want to change the "brand" too much.
In the end, the proposed hot new sports car was just another bust for GM, too drab to really grab attention and dominate the market.
So, it's not a perfect analogy, but it can be that way in golf design, too.