Matt, please try and understand this....the poster on GCA represent less than 1/2 of 1/2 of 1/2 of one percent of all golfers. And they proabbly represent about 50% of those golfers that actually understand, consider, and have the knowledge to appreciate the architecture behind the course they just played.
So, they read a list and the list says Sand Hills is better (rated higher) than Chambers Bay....do you seriously think that has much to do with where they will play their next round of golf....or more importantly, where they will spend their dollars on a golf weekend with the boys or the wife?
People base their golfing decisions on a handful of things....Access....cost....distance from home...if they have a friend that has played it and liked it, that helps, if its in good condition, that helps, if the course looks good on the web site, that helps. I doubt for the average golfer the opinion of a rater figures into their decision.