In recent years there has been a trend to more controls on orienteering courses. In my opinion this is contrary to the concept of orienteering, which should really take place between the controls. The control is a necessary evil, to lead the runner from one point to the next with the greatest possible number of route choices and the need to make as many decisions as possible. The shorter the legs, fewer route choices and decision making are available, and most of the time there is just the direct route.
Short legs simplify the course and increase the chance factor.
They are however meaningful as a change, as map reading legs in complex terrain and as trafficking controls to start the runner on an interesting and navigationally interesting leg. The difficulty should not be to find the control itself, but the best route to the control. Controls which are hidden or hard to find do not make a course challenging, but just unfair. I know that it takes time to create long, technically demanding legs. But they lift the quality of a course and are right for our sport.