RJ,
Perhaps I missed your point, but for a populist, man-of-the-people type that you seem to be, when it comes to golf have you become an elitist? Opinions about golf courses seem to be as varied as they are about politics. However, only on this site do the former appear to be as polarized as in the latter.
To the best of my knowledge, the GD list is a composite ranking of that magazine's panelists. Why Whitten is being called names by others is beyond me. Maybe it is rooted in the same malignancy which leads some people to call conservative political thinkers "stupid, idiots, embarrassments, haters, greedy" etc. Perhaps it is a way to give someone's otherwise unsupportable views some bouyancy.
GD, GM, and GW publish lists which everyone appears to agree are flawed and mean little. Yet we proceed to go bonkers ad naseum with petty arguments and hurled insults.
Personally, I'll continue to read these rankings with interest and know that if I got to play Black Rock or Friar's Head, I would have a delightful time. I am sure that Mr. Engh is an accomplished designer, and I would find his work to have considerable merit. Having played Dallas National and Spanish Oaks, I have no doubt that the GD poll has considerable validity. It may not be the gospel according to Matt Ward, slapper (?), Dick Daley, or Lou Duran, but, that's okay. I was not blown away by Black Mesa, but have no problem at all with its selection by GD. Maybe it has something to do with variety (in many things) being the spice of life.