First of all, I really do appreciate the time you have taken regarding all of this. 

Your tags look accurate and do make sense. 

Some of my workflow issues are likely with ArcGIS. However, the render and query times are drastically increased with multipolygons. This is documented and can't be argued.

I never purposely break multipolygons. If a feature no longer exists, I will remove it. If it can be moved and/or have the geometry slightly altered, I do that. If it is so poorly constructed and requires me to delete more than 50% of the existing nodes, I will remove it and re-create it. 

BTW, excessive nodes are a problem too. If a shape can be accurate with 10 nodes, it doesn't need 30+.

If I am splining out a single rough surround across a whole course or multiple fairways, it will usually be a single continuous line. This may end up in what may look like "lollipop" shapes, but is unintentional.

I never purposely run a fairway into a green. That behavior would undermine my workflow.

The fairway in question today that started all of this was someone else's work. I merely changed the lip, re-did the rough stripes, and moved it. I guess the nodes shared with the green weren't all actually shared. I know I deleted a couple of the nodes that looked out of place, but I suppose I didn't get them all. 

Ultimately, It seems like we want the same thing. Accurate golf course mapping. I'll do what I can to be one of the better ones.

Thanks!