I for one enjoy Fazio courses. They may be missing some strategic elements, but you gotta admit his courses are drop dead gorgeous to look at.
Richard,
Can you develop the bit about the missing "strategic elements" just a little, perhaps citing where they're absent in Fazio's work and present in, say, Hanse's Rustic Canyon? Are strategic courses those that feature shortish holes with relatively wide fairways and difficult green complexes? Is the ability by the higher handicappers to use a putter around the green a big part of it? Just like with walking and fast play, I hear a lot about strategy from GCA.com types but seldom see it in real life.
The vast majority of Fazio courses I've played provide ample opportunity for different types of shots. In addition to being visually attractive, a big plus in my book, is that his courses are invariably challenging in most facets of the game, provide great variety, and are typically maintained and set-up to promote the architecture. True, his courses do require the golfer to get the ball off the ground, on some holes for as much as 150 yards, depending on the tee, but I think that the concept that a good course is one that can be played by all types of golfers has been successfully disputed if not largely discredited.
It is impossible to read all the negative stuff about Fazio, often from people who have very little experience with his work, and not wonder how much the populist hatred of "the rich" underlies it. After all, getting a $2 Million fee and having a $30 Million budget appears unseemingly. But, just like some leading PGA touring pros are thankful of Tiger's impact on purses and the game, I suspect that some of the better architects are likewise grateful that Fazio has raised the pricing umbrella for their services. As one who has played a considerable amount of golf over the last 30 years, there is no question in my mind that the average golfer at every price point has much better courses to play, and that Fazio has contributed disproportionately to this.
I don't know if Fazio is a better architect than Bill Coore, Tom Doak, or Gil Hanse. I have heard several less well-known architects wish that they had the opportunity to work on a golf course with a generous budget. It makes sense that with that much money to build a course, much should be expected. From what I've played, Fazio seems to deliver time and time again.