I can clearly look back to when I was younger and knew of nothing better, hearing that a course hosted a PGA event felt like a big deal, the assumption for me was if the PGA Tour plays there it must be one of the best courses in the world, little did I know.
You need to keep in mind that most golfers probably feel the same way and do not know any better, even if they are well traveled it does not mean they get it or understand what truly makes a course great. This goes the same for music, food, art, etc... Only those that dig deeper, ask questions and want to learn what truly makes something great will figure it out and that group will always be in the minority.
Personally I like Straits, there are some incredibly unique holes there that make it deserving of some of the accolades. My biggest complaint is how the par 3's all play parallel to the lake, all too similar. I would still place it above any of the courses in Kohler and just slightly below Erin Hills and Sand Valley, I love Lawsonia but hesitate to say it is superior.
I agree about the public ranking being way too high, closer to top 20, not top 5 and modern, it may be outside of the top 50. Time can be the great equalizer but as long as it still hosts a PGA Championship every 7 or so years, it will always be overrated.