I have only played there once, and that was about 2 years ago. The Honka House was interesting, to say the least and not at all what we were expecting. Biggest problem is that John was trying to maintain most everything alone...and that's just too much for one guy. It does surprise me a little about the lack of communication becasue when we were there all he wanted to do was talk and talk and talk and talk. He was always around.
All that being said, We arrived on a Monday and played Blueberry which was in the process of being mowed. Played Granite Ridge the next day and it was mowed and awesome. Then we played Blueberry again and it was awesome.
In essence, I can completely understand how it has become a bit run-down. I hate to hear it though. Granite Ridge was my favorite, and definitely one of the 2 best courses I have ever played. Blueberry and the Gold Course are not far behind so I wouldn't say the ratings are inflated. Maybe you just had some unlucky timing or (most likely) the scope of up-keep has simply passed John's capabilities.