Bryan,
It is oddly ironic if architects today think of length elasticity (think that was a word Ross or Mac used) was to the front end of the tee, and not the back. That said, I am not sure anyone would spend $12,000 per new tee in hopes that the ball would be rolled back, just like GA guys didn't actually build back tees for when the ball would be longer, even though they may have left room for it.
And, $12K or whatever to build a small tee either forward or back is about the least expensive thing you can do. I propose it often. Right now, new holes cost $450-$550K to build new, with green complexes about 25-33% of that, for reference.
Again, every course is different and form follows function. If it was 7100 for a seniors event that isn't coming back, I would think that was long enough for the <1% of low handicap, long hitters there at the club. But, I don't know for sure. As I often say (paraphrasing Churchill.....) "Never has so much golf course been built for so few!"
I can see from a business standpoint how turf wear could be a more important design consideration than the angle of play, even if I don't side with the late Pete Dye in believing that you can't design for average players. That said, I wonder, unless it's really bad, and sometimes it is, how many of those players know or care about the angle they are playing? Their goal is to get in the FW somewhere, usually, and not any particular side of the fw, especially if they can't reach the green on their seconds. (and at 4500 yards, I guess that is 4-6 holes, excluding muffed tee shots, if any.) Moving the ropes is an indication of poorly thought out circulation, and underappreciated aspect of golf course design. It is a temporary solution that design can minimize if that is the top priority, and IMHO, it probably should be. But, as everyone here knows, I'm a bit of a weird duck.
Actually, your title, especially the word "tokenism" probably perfectly describes the design thought that goes into how seniors and women actually play the game, including how they use carts. I have seen forward tees placed behind trees and in deep holes, or requiring a forced layup or impossible carry.