Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who actually likes the grass deterioration in the new games. I think it's really cool. I like lining my town with paths made of trees and flowers and bushes, and the paths I walk on withering away so the ground looks like a trail through a forest. I love it a lot actually.
I don't think they intended grass deterioration to be some player punishing feature of the game that makes you have to take extra care of your grass. I think they added it in to add some character to the villages, unique to you. Based on where you go and the most common routes you take there.
I mean, I wish there was a way I could deteriorate the grass FASTER than just running on it. I hate seeing grass on my paths.
I like the gras wear, I just hate it when it's in a place I don't like or in a place where it doesn't nice. And too much doesn't look nice, especially if you're going with a forest theme. I love when there's a grass path and and there's a bunch of trees and flowers around it. (This is just my opinion)