I think it would be terrific if the Scottish Open comes to Cruden Bay, with as few changes as possible to the course. It sounds like several holes are in consideration for removal from the routing. Here are my thoughts on the possible alterations:
I understand the possible need to remove some holes near the clubhouse (especially 1) for tents or some other reason. No big deal, especially since 8 and 6 on St. Olaf fit into the routing so well.
Removing 3 and 4 would be a mistake, as Michael says. To remove them for crowd-control reasons would be silly. There are numerous tournament courses where spectators' access is limited or not always close to the action. Maybe the tour could give fans the option of seeing the 3rd green/4th tee or the 4th green but not walk directly from the 4th tee to the 4th green. At TPC River Highlands, which was designed to host tour events, fans cannot proceed from the 15th green to the 16th tee. Obviously, nobody's ever discussed taking 12 at Augusta National out of the routing because fans can't access the green. Michael's suggestion of teeing off across the river is intriguing and seems like a good solution.
Is the idea about removing 11 just because the green is near the 10th fairway? Maybe fans could be forced to walk along the right side of 11, away from the 10th? Or a grandstand installed as a backboard? In any case, using the 19th hole as a replacement would be fine.
It would be a shame if 14 and 15 were removed from the routing. 14 has a unique green and there are many blind par 4s in the world, including at Erin Hills, right? If the blindness were seen as a problem, maybe an extra-long flagstick would be a solution?
But most of all, 15 should be included. Can you imagine the buzz that would be generated about the course if the TV commentators are raving about the challenge of a blind par 3? Or debating it? A rock or alignment pole could be moved on a daily basis, on a direct line to the flag.
To Michael's point about 17: maybe the tee could cross over from behind the 16th green?
Messing with the routing too much would seem to foster the perception that the course has issues. Let the players take on the challenges and quirks and see whether they can handle it!