TE,
I can't answer the question in terms of elitism or democracy. I think polling is simply a tool, and as with any tool the results depend almost entirely on the hand that wields it.
I think that polling techniques have become increasingly sophisticated, and can factor in/out a whole range of variables, as in an individual respondent's obvious or probable lack of basic knowledge on a given subject/question. (As Joe H points out, though, polling can still be used by some organizations or governments simply to gauge - and then act on - public 'perceptions'.)
I also think it's important to remember that one can poll without necessarily being obliged to respond or react to the results in any way. And I don't think that simply researching an issue/question through public polls needs to imply a lack of leadership. IMHO, what one DOES with the results is the real test of leadership; especially if the polls tell a story that no one in a leadership role wanted to hear.
So, should the USGA use public opinion polls? I'd say "yes". But I would qualify that, and I think the USGA should proceed cautiously (not timidly, but smartly).
What I mean is, I think there's a difference between the USGA using polls and a government/corporation using them. A government or corporation (say a car company) can poll widely and randomly, and more importantly can do it anonymously. (We've all had those telephone calls, and if you've ever agreed to answer the questions you realize that they're phrased so that, at best, one could only guess at who's commissioned them.)
I think the USGA is different: first, the nature and specificity of the questions would probably leave little doubt as to which organization has commissioned the poll. But, more importantly, the USGA has a large membership that reasonably and legitimately could be expected to serve as the sample group. And THERE'S the problem/challenge, because if the USGA polls its MEMBERSHIP, then most of what I've said above probably goes out the window.
If the USGA polls its membership, I think that membership will expect (and have every right to expect, it seems to me) that their answers/consensus opinion will a) be made publicly available, and b) carry a great deal of weight with USGA brass. The question is: is the USGA prepared to give those opinions that weight?
I think that's the KEY question, because whether it's rule changes or equipment or championship venues, a USGA membership that has recently been polled, and has seen the results of those polls published, would probably react very badly to having, in the event, their opinions ignored by the executives. "Then why the hell did they ask us in the first place?" they might ask. And THAT scenario would be, I think, a dangerous development for the USGA, and a serious blow to its authority and credibility.
I think the USGA might be wise to think about polling as widely and randomly as governments/corporations do, and to consider happily and aggressively advertising the fact that they ARE undertaking such a poll. For example, they could tell one and all that "the USGA has commissioned a wide-ranging and comprehensive poll through which it seeks to garner a broader and deeper understanding of the current state of the game in America". That way, no one - neither USGA members nor the general golfing public – could be under any illusion that the USGA was or felt compelled to make decisions that MIRRORED the answers it got. (And it would also be clear that the USGA wasn’t restricting the poll to its MEMBERSHIP, and so could not be expected to honour its membership’s wishes.)
In short, the USGA should poll the public; it could not help but learn SOMETHING about the state of the game, and that knowledge in and of itself can't be bad.
Sorry TE, a long post, but it was an interesting question. And by the way, I'm not a pollster myself, and know about them only from what I read in the papers.
Peter