shivas/Tom Huckaby;
You're confusing a "once in a lifetime" opportunity for a shot at ego-gratifying glory on the 16th at CPC with what your head is telling you is the smart play in tough conditions if you played the hole on a regular basis.
For a moment, let's give you full membership to Cypress for the rest of your life. Oh, now and again you'll venture and lower yourself to possibly play some of its neighbors, but for the most part, you find yourself several days a week standing on a first tee that requires you to drive over a hedgerow and it becomes a routine and regular part of your life. Yes, I know it's not likely in this lifetime, but for discussions about architecture, it's important that one puts themselves into a mindset where they consider how the hole plays on a "regular" basis.
If, after 10 years of play, and hundreds of rounds later, you still attempt to hit that thimble of a target with driver or 3-wood into a direct or quartering wind every single time, then you are probably not the course managers that I know you both are.