Michael, I think what you're getting at is the (uncomfortable for some) underpinning that golf, at the end of the day, is just about entertainment. With that, yes, a good setting creates a better experience, and whether the same course is "better" or "worse" in a different environment is kind of irrelevant. It is only in one environment.
Two glasses of the same fine wine, one served at a nice dinner, the other drunk out of a Styrofoam cup both have the same taste, but the enjoyment they bring will be completely different to different people.
This cuts both ways depending on what people like. I always got a kick out of phrase on the
Heady Topper can,
once the most sought after beer in the world, begging people to drink it from the can instead of pouring into a fancy glass. Creating a sense that this beer wasn't for beer "snobs," but for beer fanatics.
Framing heavily influences the perception of a course, and making sure the framing matches the expectations is the key to creating an experience that brings joy. This is why I talk about halfway houses and the relationship between the 18th and the clubhouses as important. The creation of a setting, or framing, of the course is deeply interrelated as to how well the course works.
Generally the sense of hallowed ground comes with age, and age typically goes hand in hand with survivorship, so we associate it with goodness, but I honestly think one of the things many courses get wrong is trying to capture that setting when it's not appropriate, which is why augustification is so obvious when we see it that it's cliche.