Mike -
Thanks for the mention. It was fun to work on the Erin Hills website over the winter to expand it to provide more of what the GCA-type visitor wants to see - lots and lots of pictures, a detailed hole-by-hole section, a GCA-style course overview, and a regular column by our superintendent. Look for interesting and fun posts on Facebook and Twitter during the golf season. Enough for the shameless plug - just make sure you return for a few rounds this year!
Phil -
All good questions - you know the course well! While I won't speak for the USGA, I will say that your first and third items (the fairway lines on the 15th and a possible new back tee on the 17th) are on the agenda for Mike Davis's trip here this summer.
With 16, I agree that is a cool look - it reminds me of the line about the 13th at Crooked Stick (when the hole is cut left) being a dog-leg par 3. That tee is a nice option to have, and we need to see how often to use it.
As for competitions in 2012, the year will be a bit of a breather after last year's U.S. Amateur. Before the course opens, we will host the Lake Country Charity Invitational, a high school event for 36 teams that raises money for the MACC Fund. In early June we will host a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links.
Please let me know if you come out to Erin Hills this season. It would be nice to catch up with you.
John