When it comes to a golf sim, people want the ability play as a pro or like a pro, much like they do in games like Madden and FIFA.
People want to play these games and shoot a round at -5 and compete in tournaments of players shooting similar numbers. This can be done realistically by giving the user the ability to hit the ball longer, farther and more accurately then they really could on a golf course...basically giving them the talent that the pro golfers have.
However, they still want the challenge of managing a golf course. They need to read the green right, properly account for the wind and take a nice swing to get the ball where they want it. If they don't do those things, they'll end up in the water, a green side bunker or the rough.
What I'm reading as the primary complaint (I can't get the demo yet so I haven't played it, but I've been keeping up with this thread) is in putting you don't need any feel at all. All you need to do is read the green right. That's the sim aspect that people are missing. They want to have to read the green right and put the right touch on their putt in order for it to be good.
So I'm not sure I agree when someone says if you want a true golf sim, go out to the real course. No...if I want to go golfing, I'll go out to a real golf course. If I want to compete in a PGA Tour event, I need a sim game that gives me the ability to compete at the level but still manage most of the aspects of the game that a professional would. Likewise, if I want to play soccer I'll grab a ball, call some friends and head to the park. If I want to play in the champions league, I'll need to turn on my xbox.