A question for Cory: How often do you play somewhere and say to yourself, 'man this place is really not very good.' Do you ever regret playing somewhere because of course quality?
I never regret playing a course because of the conditions. Conditions are often out of the control of the staff and since golf is an outdoor sport you just accept what is there and deal with it. Golf is by its nature an unfair game so why should I worry about the grass?
Most of my disappointment comes from the lack of architectural interest or play-ability. I play with my 30 handicap wife frequently and often am frustrated with how unplayable some of these golf courses are for her. The majority of people playing the game are higher handicappers who can't hit the ball very high or very far. If they aren't having fun when playing a course, the future of our game is doomed.
As a positive example, my 30 handicap wife shot 42 on the front nine at Sand Hills. Coore & Crenshaw are absolutely awesome at giving the higher handicap player an angle to play their golf courses while keeping the architectural interest very high. Doak is also very good at this.