Ian,
I have no quarrel with anything on your list, save the starting par 5 which I think can work quite well—it allows one to half miss the drive or second shot and still have a good opportunity to ease into the round with a two putt par. On the other hand, as you've noted, the best par 5's typically have a risk reward element that may be tough to engage straight out of the gate. I also think a vertical hazard (tree or rock outcropping) in the middle of a (wide) fairway can work really well when presented on the second shot of a par 5.
While I have little quarrel with anything on your list, I do find myself asking, "Why do we so often find see these DON'Ts?" Why are they so common? They don't come about purely by accident. Do they come about by design intention (some people actually like the effect)? Inattention (ignorance)? Are they an unavoidable consequence of some other design intention (collateral damage)?
Let's start with containment mounds. They are clearly there through design intention. The design intent? To create visual separation. This conflict—separation vs connection—is one of the most significant differences in the experience golfers seek. Some want to be connected with the entirety of the course and all those on it, like fishermen on a stormy sea—separate but somehow in a struggle together. Others are looking for a trail experience. Though each party of adventure might cross paths with another party along the way, each is on its own quest and the experience is rooted in an individual sense of exploration, adventure and discovery as the story unfolds from hole to hole. Some courses might actually appeal to both. Seeing pictures of beautiful prairie courses like Sand Hills and Ballyneal make me think they got both. As open as they are, I imagine they present a very distinct trail based experience.
If I had to guess, I would say golfers, like the population in general, are attracted to winding trails more than amorphous wide open spaces. Just take a look at where people travel for outdoor experiences. In the Canadian National Parks system, places like Banff and Jasper get millions of visitors every year. Grasslands National Park, more like hundreds.
From your work in Saskatoon, I know you must be familiar with a course across the street that is containment mound lunacy. The goal of creating separation may be very badly done. But wouldn't you agree many golfers would take such botched attempts over a flat, featureless field?