Mike makes a good point. There should be two classes of architects; those that do new courses (so they can put their own name on it) and those that work on and study existing courses and who do restorations/renovations. The second class are the architects who are more interested in taking the time to research the original architect, learning how the course evolved, and helping recommend what is best for the course/membership going forward vs blowing it all up and doing their own thing so they can get design credit.
I think we often forget that the VAST majority of renovations/restorations are done on courses that will not host a U.S. Open or PGA Championship. There is no glory and no TV interviews or articles published in the major golf magazines. Most of the projects have minimal budgets and the modifications/changes recommended are usually made over a long period of time as funds are available. The end result, however, for most of these projects is an improved playing experience for the golfers who play there.
It has been said many times on this site, maybe only 10% of golf courses deserve “restoration” but 100% of them should be at least studied and researched as to how/why they have evolved over time before bringing in the bulldozers and ripping them up. All courses are constantly changing whether naturally or by the hand of man (some for the better and some for the worst). Thank goodness not every architect wants to start over so they can have their name on the course and there are some out there who are willing to work with what is there and help guide clubs/owners in a sound and fiscally responsible direction that is good for the golfers who will play there.
Restoration/renovation work is VERY different from building a new golf course. It takes a totally different skill set and these skills should be recognized. Some like Mike have called it smoke and mirrors, but I don’t think for example what I saw at Oak Hill would be defined like that. But what does someone like Andrew Green know about GCA, he’s just a restoration guy