Loved Cuscowilla, even a day after a torrential rain which washed some of the bunker faces out and left the course in rather soft conditions. Excellent mix of par 4s, though somewhat extreme at the long end (#s 9, 18 at 480+). Very good variety of par 3s, all playing in different directions and varied lengths. Par 5s are the least interesting. A course where the the total is greater than the sum of the parts. Very natural to the eye, nice flow. Good conditioning, but not overboard.
I too found #14 awkward, and probably one of my least favorite holes on the course. The par 3 #8 is extremely long in soft conditions (230+ yards) and the green is no picnic.
Areas of improvement: (1) I would move the tee back on #9 50+ yards and make it a par 5. It follows the long #8, and the green complex on the hillside is very challenging. Even though I understand that Mr. Coore does not like to follow a very difficult hole with an easy one, another par 5, even if reachable in firm conditions, would give the course better balance. There is some blindness on the second shot that could make this hole extremely interesting if the drive is not struck solidly and placed in the right spot. (2) There is a natural promontory just back and right of the tee on the par 3 #11 (even though there had been a lot of rain, the lake was down a couple of feet. This would only add 10 - 15 yards to the back tees, but it would bring the lake more into view and in play. Also, I would cut down all the vegetation on the bank if it could be done without causing erosion.
In my opinion, a top 50 modern, and well worth the trouble/time to get there.