I am speaking specifically to this point "We have our loophole because we don’t say something along the lines of “applications must be postmarked within six months of the date of the first measurement or they will not be reviewed and the course will not be certified".
The rest of the thread seems to have gone somewhat far afield. If I measure and document something in accordance with our established procedures then it shouldn't make a whit of difference whether I measured it yesterday or a year ago when I submit it as long as the segment has not physically changed.
In any case, if course life is 10 years what sense does it make to have a separate life span for measurements?
Obviously I'm not a certifier or a board member, I'm just a guy with an opinion that measures courses. That said, getting more guys with opinions to learn to measure courses depends on RRTC not making it more hassle than it's perceived worth. Most of my effort lately has been not measuring myself but teaching others to do it. Rules that don't really add to the quality of the certification process impede that effort.