Design 102: "Form Follows Function".
No skin in this game and no one asked BK to opine on the design solution, but:
When I initially saw what was installed I said to myself -"Self - The Links Trust did this as a solution to turf wear and tear around the bridge approach." This made logical sense, and I wasn't aware that busloads of tourists sprint onto the course between groups for a selfie or as JK opines - alcohol fueled nighttime selfies. Frankly, if I wanted a selfie on the Bridge and couldn't get a tee time on TOC, I'd take a drive on a Sunday - isn't the course closed to play?
A circular bridge approach for golfers and tourists makes sense - the bridge can be approached from all directions distributing turf wear and tear. This eliminates a line of wear and tear from pedestrians being funneled onto one route to access the bridge.
Did anyone do a mock up and take a pix of themselves standing on the paved circle? I'm thinking that may have presented a good photo op and was incorporated into the design solution.
The stone color of the paved approach didn't immediately catch or bother my eye; though on study, there could have been a better choice made.
I noticed there wasn't a circle on the egress side of the bridge. I imagine the turf gets wear and tear there as well but perhaps the walking paths are a bit more disbursed.
What did catch my eye was on this design solution was the less than ideal regrading of the lip of the paved patio circle and how the hard edge didn't blend into the adjacent area well at all. That, IMHO, was the design fail, which called attention to this fix. IMHO, if this paved extension was blended better and graded properly into the existing conditions, we likely wouldn't be having this 1st world discussion.
Much like the "Save the Sacred Tree on my Home Course" diatribe, heaven forbid anything change @ TOC, though someone observed nature changes the place daily and that seems acceptable.
The way some of this board reacted to this, you'd have thunk The Vatican painted over the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with one coat of Behr beige paint/primer.