I'm guessing this is a by-product of bomb and gouge...I'm not a gouger, so I have no interest in being deep in gunga, 25 yards closer to the green. If it's light rough, no big deal. I want to be in the fairway, so I'll take the ease of control over the increased distance.
In that case, is it the ball or the club that gives us ease of control? Is it most noticeable with the driver? The driver is a funny beast~on the one hand, it has the flattest face and the least amount of error. On the other, it has the original cheater line, the tee (be it sand or peg), an enabler that enhances by a good portion that small margin of error. Has any club been softened more than the driver in the era of technology? Has any club needed to be?
Do we equate accuracy with distance, mistakenly? Does a long drive in the fairway "feel" longer than a longer drive in the rough? When courses are fast and firm, doesn't the fairway offer more bounce and roll than the rough?