Apawamis uses the 1st fairway as well...WF's range is fit for Roy McEvoy...Baltusrol has that ugly hill beyond the lot...so many of the classic courses did not have the culture or foresight to think such (so much) space would be necessary...
Speaking on the "keeping sustainable/economically competitive/viable" tip I think the clubs that can offer good versions of both indoor and outdoor practice facilities get a nod or feather for their caps...
The club with which I'm most associated, drastically improved their range (tee and field) in recent years and just opened an indoor facility last winter with a two bay door out/1 indoor simulator and lounge area, which had a steady handful of regular and college-junior every winter weekend... the pro did like 200 lessons and made a couple of score of fittings, while folks lounged and watched football and Golf Channel. It proved every bit as popular and useful for these purposes IN-season as well... an absolute HR of an investment for this group.
For the particulars of the original post, I say that I would turn the current "field acreage" into the best short game area I could summon and eschew hitting full shots at all (unless an indoor/netted facility could be tolerated next to the grand short game area)