Ran - having played CPC only twice in my life, I am not nearly as qualified to comment here as the stalwarts you mentioned, but that never stopped me before.
I did play there 6 months ago.
I'd say the "give it a rip" aspect is alive and well on #9, but only if the pin is front right (which I'd have to guess it rarely is). From the back tee, it's about 275 to that back left tier and well, it is pretty darn small and I just can't see any shot going that far holding that shelf. Short of the green would be playable - the bunker is looking a lot like Geoff's pic, I thought - but long means death - your best hope would be to stay on #10 tee - and even then that's a shot you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. So even if you CAN make that heroic carry, which I figure a lot of people are capable of, it's just not a very good play to that pin.
I suppose a valid choice with a back left pin is to try and rip it on the right front, and that is VERY doable. But do you want to try and putt up that tier? That seems to me to be asking for a 3 (or more) putt.
Nope, if the pin is back left, the play is indeed a tee shot to a distance you like, then pitch on up. Interesting, when I was there, we hit 4 different clubs off the tee and two birdies were made, both by the fellows who stayed the farthest back! But only because Strawn and I holed heroic above the hole putts, and the Armenian missed a short uphill one. Crazy game indeed.
Thus ends my dissertation on #9 at Cypress.
TH