TD,
That is a question I hinted at but no one is really answered - are small, moderate and big breaks inherently about the same amount of fun? Conceptually, judging the break and executing distance and line is the same, regardless of break.
As Pete Dye says, forget the tour pros (although he doesn't) because their goal is a green you learn quickly when in town for a week. Add in the speed and reduced break and it does seem that kind of putting is more mechanical and less feel. (But, what do I know?)
For me, the question is if gentle rolls are really inherently less interesting than the big wild greens? If not, then I find problems with designing big rolls where they cause maintenance issues.
I also fall in the Colt category of believing that once on the green, if you execute and plan, you should be able to make the putt or put it close. And, I feel that the more contour is there, the more chance is involved in something freaky happening. While golf will never be entirely fair, and we can design to a formula far too much in trying to achieve the unachievable, for the most part, I think designing for current conditons of speed, etc. is what we should do.
If you feel that more sloped greens (and I am thinking over the typical 2-3%, not over 1.5% some archies favor now) the question is whether there is there a specific and unique type of big breaking putt you try to achieve that cannot be had other ways?
Certainly putting over the top of a small knob, or negotiating a tier (the 11th at CD being a great example) cannot be achieved with a gently rolling green.
I recall you adovcating subtle changes in mid slope, such as increasing a 2% slope to 3% for a short distance to mess up distance judgement. How do you feel about the "up and down" component of every putt some pros say makes putting more difficult to judge? Is that worth putting in nearly every green? Of course, those are subtle contour changes, not severe.
Any other neat ideas that cause you to favor wild greens, or just a personal preference based on your own golf experience?
Speaking of that, I wonder if anyone has ever really done a survey when presuming that average golfers like flatter, dull greens? Or do the course managers simply presume that they know that?