Lou,
1) Do you consider playing ability to be a great asset in your work? I think so...not that I am any good but have done it long enough and have been in a situation were I could not breathe or take the club back....so that can make you appreciatre certain shots under pressure....Can the heart and the mind overcome a hole in one's soul? Hey that sounds sort of gay...is this a trick.. 
I don't think we are meant to overcome holes in souls....I think those holes make us what we are....check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppqb0t_B0KY
2) What are the advantages and disadvantages in working in places like Costa Rica and Nicaragua vs. the U.S.?
it is much harder to get materials and permits....skilled labor must be imported and must be accustomed to the living changes...but overall is much the same except that many of the owners do not know what to expect when they open and need much help with maintenance conditions etc....
3) In marginal areas where bent and bermuda can both be used such as Atlanta and Dallas, assuming you had similar budgets to maintain both in very good playing conditions, which would you prefer using on a course you designed? If bermuda is your preference, which strain would you use in Atlanta?
Bent is a better surface wen it is good but most of the golf season in those climates you mention takes place in bermuda weather. I would keep bent greens feasible....if using bermuda I would go Champions...seems to have been around a little longer and most supts can live with it....
4) Relative to personal hygiene and golf course design, holding everything else equal, are the psychological factors which predispose a knowledgeable architect to a high maintenance, mostly hairless regime help or hinder his work? Would the otherwise well-coifurred architect's work reflect similar close attention to detail, cute little design features, aesthetics, and an orientation toward nuance and mind over force?
Mike,
My question regarding the hole in one's soul was in reference to the faculties of a good architect you noted earlier: "the heart of an artist, the mind of an engineer, and the soul of a golfer". In today's climate, with all the environmental, zoning, and permitting regulation, the engineering expertise is an obvious necessity. I am still unclear whether the artistry is as important as the ability to see the shots from first hand experience. If you were to be short in one of the three, which would it be?
As to the question that apparently didn't merit a reply, I only brought it up because you seem to be particularly knowledgeable of the 21st Century Metrosexual and his predilections. It dawned on me while typing that perhaps those who are wired in this manner may also have some special sensitivities along the creative side of architecture, and that perhaps these are reflected in their work (e.g. closely shaved bunkers, well-defined fairway lines, precisely cut primary and secondary roughs, immaculate conditioning, etc.). I guess I was wrong.
Next to last question: after discounting your home bias, which course is superior, ANGL or Shinny (or Sand Hills or Pacific Dunes if you haven't played Shinny) and why?
Last: who is funnier, you or that guy who was in your employ but now appears on the Golf Channel, Charlie something or other?