In my opinion, providing consistently fast and firm playing conditions greatly depends on what soils you have and more importantly, how you manage the moisture content in those soils. In my experience, it was much easier to do this when I worked in northern California, as we had very sandy soils with almost no rainfall in the summer months. In contrast, I've found it very difficult to provide these same conditions in the Midwest because of the heavier soils and sporadic downpours. To consistently provide these conditions on heavy soils, you'd have to keep that inch or two of thatch, roots, and soil dry, while maintaining a healthy turf stand. The only way to accomplish that is to have healthy, deep roots. Which then brings different turf grasses into the picture, as it is very difficult to get poa to deeply root in hot/humid conditions, while properly maintained bentgrass can produce the desired root depth. With that said, core aerating twice a year and sand topdressing fairways on a consistent basis, would really be the best way to produce firm and fast playing conditions on heavier soils. To me, sand topdressing and proper irrigation are really the keys to firm/fast conditions. A lot of golfers forget that we can't control rainfall amounts and sand can get real expensive when you're talking about topdressing fairways. I hope we're talking about fairways! If you can't produce fast and firm greens, you won't last very long in this business (in my opinion).
Please note that there are many other factors that play a role in providing fast and firm playing conditions. My Dad would argue that proper fertility is extremely important, I agree! When I was in turf school at MSU, fast and firm was taught in nearly every class. It's really become the talk of our industry and I know researchers at MSU are doing studies on rolling fairways, sand capping, and drought tolerant turfgrass varieties.
The bottom line is fast and firm is how the game is meant to be played.
It's funny that Dan posted on this thread, because he's probably the best "fast and firm" superintendent in the business. I agree with Dan too, this board is not meant to personally attack superintendents that can't defend themselves. I understand why you're passionate about the subject Joel, but there's other ways to get your message across. I know I'm nobody to you, I'm just asking you nicely to reconsider. I want our industry to become more educated about golf course architecture, post like this will turn off superintendents to Golf Club Atlas period.