This is a confusing thread to follow with Tom replying to Sean, but no sign of Sean!
Tom - I wonder what it is about Carnoustie that you remember so fondly that you don't see in Hoylake? There is one very large non-architectural difference which is relevant to the two experiences - Hoylake is one of the great clubs in British golf, a real sanctuary to warm the heart of any GCA afficianado in a way Carnoustie - which is a course rather than a club - can never do.
As for the course - I think it is the combination of the burnt brown look and dentist metaphor that's done for you.
You ask many times whether you can have fun at Hoylake. Well, it does not stimulate the visual senses (nor does Carnoustie) but as Mark has well described there is a lot of challenge to be had, and that is a source of fun, unless the weather is really rough, but that applies to all clubs.
I think the conditions of the Open and the way Tiger played it have given people the wrong idea of the course. Let me give you a sample of how it plays to a long hitting, somewhat wild 7 handicapper when the prevailing wind is blowing:
Hole 1 - hugely long par four. no chance of driving into fairway bunkers.
2 - you can flog it over all the trouble to 100 yards from the green, but will struggle to hold the green from right rough.
3 - scary tee shot, OB much more in play than during the Open with the stands up. And the further left you take your drive, the more you bring OB into play for your second shot.
4 - you can flog it over the fairway bunkers down the right, but same challenge of being difficult to hit the green if you try to come from the right (which is where you would flog it to).
5 - long par 5, fairway bunkers unlikely to be in reach. need some strategy to get the ball in the right places.
6 - short hole: long iron into the wind, difficult green to reach and hold.
7 - you can hit a three iron for positon, followed by medium iron to the green.
8 - daunting blind drive into the wind, much of the trouble out of reach.
9 - short hole, needs a 6 iron or so to reach, but right to left wind and green shape make it difficult to hold.
10 - par five you can get quite close to in 2.
11 - just about driveable short 4. you can flog it close, but if you go right, you have difficult blind approach.
12 - if you drive bold and left you can maybe take bunkers out of play. even so, you still have 5 iron or so into the wind for your second.
13 - tough medium/long iron with wind coming from the left to short hole.
14 - similar challenges to 12.
15 - a very short (downwind) little shot to small green, all about direction and control.
16 - very reachable par 5 - downwind - with as little as 5 iron or so for 2nd shot if you have hit a good drive and stayed down the right.
17 - brutal par four, similar to 1, where even your two best shots might not get you up. fairway bunkers most unlikely to bother you.
18 - similar to 16, very reachable downwind par 5. the further right you go, the more OB you must cross for your 2nd, but you definitely think you can make birdie.
Summarising - maybe not so penal/claustrophobic as you might think. Some holes much tougher than when still, and others a fair bit easier. The club is very proud of the "links" as they like to call it, and honouring fast-running links traditions, but you will probably have to wait ten years to see it so dry again.