Adam, I may also be one of those you were directing your question to since I questioned whether the 16th hole is among the best on the course. We played with Rupert. First, let me reiterate that I think Ballyneal is outstanding and is certainly worthy of the acclaim bestowed on it both in the media and by those on this site who treasure it. That being said, as with any course, not every hole and every feature possess equal qualities of perfection. My point about the 16th is that playing into a very strong wind (probably 40 mph) I did not see that it offered the strategic choices I found present in other holes that similarly played into the same wind, such as 6, 8 or 14. I felt that each of these other holes still offered a number of options despite the wind. Whereas at 16, the thought process was simply get the ball in play off the tee pretty much anywhere, hope to find the Bowl of Achievement with your second, and then play a mid-long iron third uphill against the wind to the green. At the end of the day, my point is really intended less as criticism of 16 and more as praise for these other holes for a design that still allows for different playing options under admittedly harsh conditions. I have every confidence that #16 is a great hole under different conditions.
By the way, one thing I found very interesting about #16 (at least under the tough conditions we encountered) was that despite a sharp dogleg, pretty much the entire hole played directly into the wind. I believe the "true" wind direction was actually into our faceoff the tee. But the trek up to the green from the dogleg also played into perhaps an even more violent wind. I can only assume the high dunes on both sides of this part of the hole act as a wind tunnel diverting its path. Have others experienced this?
Ed