Players that once went pitching or rugby are now golfing with incredible spin balls and club tech through the roof.
It's very true that the Midwest decided to have settled and damp rather than dry and winds......I they got it wrong with fway width and a few other things (? green drainage facilities for a start). I also have a bit of a dislike for new plastic places. A recently "Irished" pub house never works anywhere I have been.
Away from old v new the players ability combined with clubs took it apart.
When I was growing up watching Dennis Lillee March to the boundary to throw some screamer in only for Boycott to forward leg defend it without score got old, and they changed. Maybe golf is trying the same, and at the end of the day the best player did win.
I think if I were there I would have been wowed at how they did the course overall, criticised fway width and lack of trees, thought the clubhouse sucked and gone found somewhere else local, with a great atmosphere, for a beer.