Adam - my interest is that I am in the process of writing an article on the history of Mount Pleasant. While researching, I was surprised by the once extensive use of MP by the USGA and PGA. I was wondering how many other munis had that kind of history. As usual, the treehouse answered me in spades!
I got to thinking of why munis were once much more used as tournament venues. The conclusion I can to is that in the 1940s and 1950s, the courses tournaments were contested on mattered less than they do today. These were not big dollar events, there was no TV and very few writers and fans gave a hoot about golf course architecture. The majority of the pros were just trying to eke out a living in dog-eat-dog tournaments. Unlike today where beauty to the viewer's eye is so important, the courses of yesteryear were mostly just fields of play.
JC