ORLANDO, FLORIDA | It is natural to feel sadness when a friend sells a place he has possessed for a long time. Especially when it’s one on which you have made some pretty special memories yourself. And it can certainly hurt when the new owners bring in bulldozers that for all intents and purposes raze a spot you have come to know and love. But change can also be a good thing, and I was cheered when I recently considered last spring’s sale of Pat Ruddy’s highly acclaimed European Club south of Dublin, Ireland, and the total revamping of the club’s layout that began in December. For one thing, there was the joy in knowing that Ruddy, an amiable Irishman who has made his living as a golf journalist, publisher and course designer, is reported to have received nearly $40 million for that layout, which is arguably the best of the 20-odd tracks he has designed. That’s quite a payday for a man whose hands have been alternately stained with ink and covered with dirt throughout his working life – and who heretofore could have only dreamed of su...