Living in NJ has afforded me a front row seat to a number of Rees debacles, including one at a club I subsequently resigned from because I was unwilling to fund a large assessment for Rees' work. In my opinion, reasonable minds disagree about the merits of his original designs, but as a "restorer" of golf courses, he is simply not very good. In large part, I think this is because his conception of what constitutes a "restoration" is quite different than his peers.
At a meeting he ran at the aforementioned club from which I resigned, I listened to his presentation and then asked the following question:
"Mr. Jones, during your presentation I heard you use the phrase 'Ross-like' four times, 'in the style of Ross three times' and 'patterned after Ross' twice. Can you please explain to the club why you think a renovation is more appropriate than a restoration?"
Jones demurred that what he was proposing was a restoration. After I pressed him further on his definition, he said it was "restoration style," sat down abruptly and referred my follow-up questions to his assistant who did an admirable job of trying to defend his plan. I left that meeting with the impression that Rees was temperamentally unsuited to doing restoration work of the type that this site seems to adore. That type of work implies subordinating much of one's own ideas to the recreation of another architect's work. I just don't think Rees likes doing that, but he bids on the projects because that's pretty much all that's out there.
Lastly, I'd say that even someone like me who thinks the evidence has borne out that he is not good at restorations, would say the problem is he's got a prominent enough name to get projects at really top flight clubs. To my first point, take a quick look at how many clubs have hired other architects to remove Rees' recent work (Hollywood springs to top of mind or Montclair where he volunteered his services and the club subsequently hired someone else). To my second point, it's not that he's THAT bad, it's that he's a poor choice for clubs doing restorations that turn out like the currently critically acclaimed ones.
I wouldn't hire him, but that's a personal choice and one based on my belief that when he says "Restoration" he means "Rees-storation."