Some people have allowed their marriages to deteriorate, or were the victims of enough outside interference that they cannot muster the basic skills to make their marriage work. Many entered the picture poorly prepared. Either way, the need for a counselor might be valid. Those who can manage the speed bumps of marriage without outside help should certainly save the money and time, and invest in their home, not the unneeded professional.
One reason to have a date outside the home was to be away from the distractions of the home. Among them was the wonderful, but majorly disruptive telephone. Now with cell phones that no one leaves home without one, couples need to cherish each other enough to shut theirs.