JNC,
1. You are correct in that the quote comes from the CB website.
2. You must have forgotten #11 or played it entirely up the right side. A good drive on a firm day can run through the fairway into the lake. Even more threatening, a tugged approach has H2O written all over it. The 11th green is one of the most challenging to putt on the course.
3. I'm divided on the par threes...I find #7 and #17 to be nearly identical, despite the different hazards (water and sand). Both play at mid to long iron length to a horizontal green that is not nearly deep enough to hold the required shot. In contrast, both #5 and #12 are fantastic, Redan-ish holes in that a shot can be bounced in from the short and right, avoiding the water entirely.
4. The pond on #14 is a fabulous hazard. The green beyond is able to hold shots from 3-metal to wedge. The creek on #16 is subtle and sublime. I'm not a big fan of the lake on #2, but it shouldn't really come into play if you can golf your ball. If you can't, you should play your third up the fairway, leaving a 50-yard pitch over land. The big, big pond on #18 is actually in play off the tee. If you go to far right, you get in the trees separating #9 from #18. Therefore, you have to challenge the tree in the middle of the fairway and the lake. It comes into play for tugged second shots as well.
5. I'm going to suggest that Crag Burn could have been even better if some of our modern architects were working at the time of its building. If Pete Dye had gotten a hold of the land, it wouldn't look much different.