Pat,
The funny thing is, they exist so long at old courses they seem to be part of the charm. If I did it on a new course, it would probably get a lot more criticism. I have heard many good players complain about 6-8" grass right in front of the tee. Apparently, they play like Arnie, with those low, low starting ball flights, rising up later in the shot, and don't want a tee shot to get knocked down.
With new drivers, even 9 degree or less, I wonder if that is really an issue, or just psychological? I recall playing in pro ams, and pro will never let a caddie leave a bag forward of the tee to shorten their carry, even if topping a tee shot and hitting said bag is about a 0.00001% chance of incurring a penalty stroke.