Interesting question...
I've been for the past 5 years (always on Thursdays) and in my opinion, yes, the new course is really tailored more towards the golf fan and less towards the socialite.
Location: At the previous spot the course was surrounded by million dollar mansions and was located on the Four Seasons property. If you walked most of the back nine, each hole is lined with these mansions that get rented out to corporations and used for parties, etc. And a few holes on the front nine were played around the Four Seasons hotel, so many of the rooms and patios were being used as hosting events. The new location is the polar opposite...the neighborhood is rough, surrounded by trailer parks and low income housing, etc. The new course was also built on a landfill, so when it got nice and hot last year is smelled awful.
Parking: Previously you could park close and walk to the gates. Now, parking is at the State Fair and it's a 20 minute bus ride without traffic.
I also think that this year's player field is the worst they've had in some time. I can understand Thursday being down in attendance (the entire course was a ghost town) because of the weather and rain we had on Wednesday, but a lack of star power doesn't help either. If it weren't for Tony Romo, that place would have been deserted. He had by FAR the biggest crowd following him...about twice as large as Jordan Speith. And speaking of weather, the new course is all dirt paths and such for spectators (as opposed to paved at the previous) so Thursday was just a muddy mess.
I think long term the tournament either moves back to Las Colinas, or up to Frisco when the new PGA Headquarters opens. While Crenshaw and crew did a nice job creating the course, it's an awful location and not accommodating at all. I know that Corporate Sponsorships and donations were WAY down this year, and that combined with the less than stellar playing field will make the Byron Nelson people have to re-evaluate things sooner rather than later. Hell, look at The Colonial player field vs. the Byron Nelson's...not even close.