That would work, Tom - as long as you also agreed to come out and hit the ceremonial opening tee shot and follow-up with some media Qs and As.
Which is to say: assuming a quality golf course, it's all about marketing after that. And one could market a public, low-cost, naturalistic and environmentally sustainable golf course by one of the world's top architects just as easily and successfully as one could market yet another sprawling, high-priced resort destination.
An opening tee shot and Q and A is an essential tool in that regard.
You'll know much better than I do: but I think that an architect's fees are just a fraction of the total development costs; and that those development costs (whether $2 million or $20 million) have little to do with the developer's (predetermined) price point/green fees.
The difference is in intention; and the kind of people who become golf developers tend to be those who intend to make the golf course a prestige/boutique/high-end experience and charge $200+ for a round there; they want to make money, of course, but more so they want to make sure to impress their wealthy and well-traveled friends.
But surely theirs can't be the only viable intention.
And surely, even the most craven and self serving media types will be okay, at least this one time, with not being flown out to a far-flung resort course and fed bison burgers and $9 dollar organic milk shakes if the cause/golf course is a good one.
Indeed, they might be quite easily shamed into praising a new low-cost, sustainable brand of golf that's aimed at being a good for the community instead of merely further lining the pockets of, and serving, the 1%. (I don't think, developers aside, it's really the 1% -- but, you know, that's in the air these days and one might as well use it.)
Peter
PS - in my neck of the woods, the most successful new course (about 4-5 years old, I think) was built by the same family that owns the "Victoria" family of courses. Vic East was built in the early 70s on flat farmland; 18 holes, 6500 yards, no more than 10 minutes from the centre of town. Vic West, right cross the street, was built at roughly the same time; it was a shorter course, also 18 holes. They sold the latter course a few years ago for luxury housing, but at the same time built 27 new holes about 5 minutes further away -- Vic Valley. A rolling, hilly property, with the 3 nines comprised mostly of Par 3s, some short 4s, and a couple of half-par 5s. Good, decent golf, and very fairly priced....and it is busy all the time: families, youngsters, ladies groups, seniors, and lots of the rest of us nipping out for a fun, quick 9. You take a course like that but with a naturalistic and minimalist style and ethos, and break some new ground re sustainable maintenance practices, and have some very cool greens, and heck, make it reversible, and you market that and you'll have folks flocking from miles around to play it from morning till night. Design it for $1 dollar and keep construction costs down, and there would be enough profit to satisfy any sane person.