Is it possible to always make something better?
Absolutely. It is the pursuit of excellence, of better that makes life interesting, exciting and drives progress. Homeostasis is extremely finite and mostly theoretical. Change is constant. We either grow or decline. Resting on one's laurels only assures mediocrity and eventual obsolescence.
None of this means that adding bunkers, tees, trees, rough, irrigation heads, etc. is necessarily better. I played a course yesterday that once had over 120 bunkers and now has around 90. It could probably lose another 20+ and improve its financials while providing more enjoyable golf to its members.
The mentality that the devil made me do it (marketing, advertising, frequent product cycles, keeping up with the Joneses) might have a lott to do with the decline in golf. Some, perhaps many, seem to think that most of us have little volition. If we can't control our actions, then we are not responsible for playing slow, not fixing ball marks, not raking bunkers, not letting faster players through, and not respecting the etiquette and courtesies of the game. And, since we are not responsible for resisting that new TaylorMade driver that SuperStar pro just won a major with, how can we be held accountable for not having enough money to pay our mortgage or our medical bills? Blame that terrible bank who marketed that bad loan to get us into that dream house that we couldn't afford. That damn back that's been bothering me for 10 years and costs $20k to fix, well, of course the operation should be paid by the government. After all, I am not responsible for being overweight, mostly sedentary, and spending my money playing golf. The devil made me do it.
Jon W,
Please define "purity of the experience" and "what is important". Might it surprise you that what people experience and deem important varies greatly? Are your personal judgments/preferences the only correct/appropriate ones?
I enjoyed #2 very much and would love to play it regularly but for the cost. I can fully understand how someone with a different aesthetic and golf game might prefer playing a course with wall-to-wall irrigation and green grass coverage. Courses for horses.