Kevin,
The constant abuse is what holds some people back (ask Derek). Why would he bother to share his expertise? There are many of us questioning this right now and have said as much to Ran. The quality of discussions on this site has diminished dramatically over the last several years. It is a shame but a sign of the times as their is little mutual respect any more for different opinions.
Mark:
As is often the case, I don't agree with you on this.
Derek is in an unusual position . . . his career is with GOLF DIGEST, and that is what makes it hard for him to just express his opinions . . . it's not the "constant abuse" but the fact that he has never been on here to say what he thinks and earn people's respect. Ron Whitten struggled to participate here for much the same reasons, and in some respects, so did Ran for the last few years, once he became the head of one of the ranking panels. They've got to write up whatever their panelists voted as the gospel, even if they personally disagree with it, and defend their methods and the honor of their publication, because it is their job.
Likewise, many golf course superintendents and club professionals lurk on the site but struggle to participate, for the same reason. They can't talk out of school about their jobs or their bosses. Same for young design associates with most firms . . . there is nobody on here who works for Gil Hanse, and only an occasional post from a couple of the guys who work for Coore & Crenshaw. That certainly isn't because I'm holding them back.
Golf course architects may struggle, too . . . there are times when I can't say anything about a certain project because the client wants to control the narrative. Generally, I have a lot of leeway in that regard because of my reputation, and my clients know that I'm going to say what I think, but there are times when it's hard to do. But there are a lot of architects who think it's unprofessional to criticize others' work, which leaves . . . a lot of platitudes about how great Pine Valley is.
No doubt there are some personal issues between some of the DG participants here, and we would all be better off without it. But that's not new to the site . . . Mucci and Tom Paul used to get so wound up arguing with each other that Ran would have to make them sit in the corne, and God knows how many times John Kavanaugh was suspended. But each of them contributed more to the discussion than 90% of the people still around here. Nobody likes a critic, but isn't that the whole reason we're here?