Hi dtkokay,
As you can see in my avi, I have grass up to to coping around most of my pool. My skimmers catch all the clippings. I used to cut it myself with a bagger and hand trimmed the edging. Now i have a landscaping co who also uses a bagger but uses a string trimmer to edge. There are more clippings in my skimmer baskets with the landscaper but i never have debris on the floor of the pool. My pump is running when they cut the grass of course. My .02 is if you like the look, try it out for a season. You can always easily add river rock or something else. Anywhere I have rock on my property it get leaves and other junk stuck in it and it looks crummy after 3 or 4 years.
Also make sure the builder uses Jandy or Hayward valves, not simple ball valves. Others can comment but i think ball valves are used (& fine) for water features.