Niall,
I think the gentleman might be confusing Turnberry with Trump International GL- Balmedie as to controversy, cost, dirt moved.
The biases I suggested deal with Donald Trump and ultra-expensive golf. Just like there are people who will not buy anything Nike or go see numerous Hollywood movies due to the expressed political views of the actors, directors and producers, anything Trump is kryptonite to many. Ditto for a £350+ green fee (though TOC at £180 is ok).
I am a big believer that golf is a big world. And though the opinion of the individual who considers Brora to be superior to Turnberry is, as Bob Crosby notes on the Golf: Want vs Need thread, "dumb" in my estimation, I have no problem that he holds it. I must admit, however, that I've never had a course "ask" anything of me and "charm" as a characteristic is another one that goes right by me (for the record, I found Max Behr's writings tedious, confusing, and uneconomical).
As to "strategy", I think that we confuse that as well, possibly with tactics, but more likely with options that have as much to do with the weather, course conditions, the tees we choose, set-up, how we are feeling on the given day, the form of play, etc. as to the architecture. One think I learned at the King Putter 1 was that there seemed to be an inverse relationship between those who waxed poetically about "strategy" and "interest" and the ability to hit the ball into the hole in the fewest number of strokes. Some days my two primary strategic objectives are to get the ball airborne and to identify two or three relatively private relief stations.
I know that many here don't think highly of the masses and the market to set prices according to what the consumer is willing to pay for. For consideration, I can join Brora today for an annual subscription of £175. The green fee for one round at Turnberry- Ailsa is £350-375. I suspect that it would be easier to get a tee time at Brora than at Ailsa. But, having said this, I remember Brad Klein once noting that commercial success and critical acclaim are two very different things. Perhaps that is one reason golf architects don't like to put their own money into the courses they design (Nicklaus learned the hard way, or so I am told).
BTW, not that it is relevant, but I played dismally at Turnberry (96) and not bad at Brora (80). Two really different courses "asking" for a very different game. To each his own.