Yes, Tom. Same experience on native sand at Las Palomas. The only extra cost we had (construction) were the dual irrigation heads (with more perimeter, we had more heads around greens) and the cost for pre-fertilizers based on the larger green areas. With only one variety of turf — dawrf Paspalum — we made the greens very large, about 7,500 sf average.
Rick Gillespie, the superintendent, says that he would like the greens smaller (and he has done so in areas with my blessing) because it simply costs him more labor to mow and verticut the large greens ... a 6,200 sf average would be nearly 20% less in terms of greens maintenance for him as opposed to the 7,500 sf average now. But, I continue to defend the larger sizes and "give in" only occasionally.
How much less with tightly mown areas as opposed to green surfaces? It will depend on the turf type, climate and a host of other factors. As a rule I have heard that greens maintenance and care represents about 20-30% of a golf maintenance budget. So, if $750,000 per year (not including water cost)...greens may account for nearly $200,000 in labor and cost. If 20 greens at 5,000 sf each (100,000 sf total in greens), then the greens maintenance cost is roughly $2 per sf per year. (Please note that this is a real generic estimate.)
You would have to add cost for non-greens areas, but I do feel you could lessen the budget by, perhaps, $1.50 for every sf you removed from a green surface...not including any work to trim and fit the irrigation heads or other work.
So, if you took 100,000 sf of greens down by 20% to 80,000 sf...you MIGHT save $30,000 per year. MIGHT. One would need to look at the specific situation, including cost of labor, climate, etc. Also, you would need to weigh the potential awful look of a great green as it was designed...and imagine it smaller. Could look like a royal mistake or just sloppy maintenance.
Honey...I shrunk the greens...