If there's one common theme I've heard from those playing Oakmont over the years, it's that the first play beats you up, leaving you thinking you'd never want to play it on a regular basis.
After a few plays, though, most learn how playable it is. It is never going to suffer fools, as some seem to want. You have to work work work for every shot saved, every stroke shorn, but isn't that what the game is really about?
I recall a poster on here who shall remain nameless sending me a private message stating that when he played one of his rounds at Oakmont, he teed off behind a twosome of older women. He was a bit saddened, expecting to be slowed down. The only times he saw them later in the round, they were having a ball.
Look up how many fairways Cabrera hit in his last round if you think it's unplayable due to narrow fairways.
And don't get me wrong - I'd love to see someone do an Augusta experiment and mow everything down to a fairway cut, invite some top players, and see what happens. I suspect it would be fascinating. But I don't see that happening anytime soon...