Mark/,
I'm also surprised, in that even Forrest didn't answer, and he usually does. Like you, those results seem pretty low. I assume that his answers came from the same limited group of architects interviewed about the routing process, and perhaps a few more he happened to ask at other times.
If so, you have to remember that the results may have been skewed by the number of architects working in Asia, where it is more difficult to get to, and also where it doesn't matter as much, assuming you have a mountain site that must be blasted out or off.
I am reminded of my first trip to Indonesia to look at the site. "Mr. Brauer, we have cleared all the trees so you can make your site inspection easier" was the first thing I heard. Fortunately, that was only on part of the site.
Mike,
In my case, my closest project to you may have been a record low for visits during the routing process. Lake Jackson is both flat, and totally wooded, with a heavy wild pig and snake population. I saw all I needed to see (and not see) in two visits before preparing the final routing. Walking it any more would not have yielded better results, I assure you.
At the Quarry, I counted about 13 visits before hitting on the final routing. To be fair, I thought I had a final routing earlier, but then the environmental and engineering studies told me I didn't. All was well, IMHO, as looking at the site again yielded the 6th and 9th holes, two of my favorites.
Most courses are somewhere in between. I'll keep count on my next course, starting next week.