David
I don't know (rather I don't believe) that any of the early inland courses were great, but I think there were plenty moments of greatness - some of which would no longer be considered as such. In a word, I think some great stuff exists right before our eyes, only we choose not to look or to get into the mindset of a archie from 1890. We are trying use a set of criteria which only started to become validated in the 1920s and took more generations to become solidified for circumstances existing 120 years ago. Greatness is a sliding and relative scale and it is largely determined by so-called experts, many of which don't know anymore than you and many other enthusiasts.
Ciao