I agree with you that oot is not open world. To me it has always felt as a hub world (Hyrule field) with all other levels connected as a kind of leggy appendix. To get anywhere you almost always have to go through hyrule field except if you use the warp portals in the lost woods, at which point the lost woods become a hub.

I do get what other people a re saying that it felt a bit open world, especially for the time as areas quite quickly open up and allow you to have a sneak preview at what is to come.