I like the theory of Derek putting his thumb on the scale, and I don't necessarily disagree with it (Derek Duncan propagandizing to fix golf course ratings on behalf of a private company is philosophically different than Paul Kagame propagandizing to fix Rwanda, no matter the principles of the thing).
If my social media observations are any indication, the prime factor driving the ratings are the ratings themselves because few raters are inclined to be Juror No. 8, pushing to conversation forward at the cost of falling out of favor with the majority. The second biggest thing driving perception of golf course ratings, in my opinion, is social media, in which case more people are feeding off of Erik Anders Lang's "insights" than Derek's. Even when an individual plays the course, to shed the shackle of peer pressure is a burden for many. Some would rather ask if they actually didn't enjoy a well-ranked course, rather than ask themselves why they didn't like it.
At any rate, if Derek is doing something Machiavellian, I'm fine with it.