Anthony:
I don't really think Cape Kidnappers is too easy for the premier player. It wasn't "set up" for the Kiwi Challenge at all ... they didn't grow the rough in or grow it high or anything, and they kept the greens slow just in case it got windy. Four tour pros played it on a dead calm day, and the scores were 65-66-71-74. (That's six under, five under, even par, and three over.) And that's on a calm day.
I would suggest that, under similar circumstances, Cypress Point, St. Andrews and even Shinnecock might be equally yielding.
Kenny:
There are two reasons why Cape Kidnappers doesn't get many nominations for a top ten list.
The first reason is simply that it was built after the top ten were already in place ... it's hard for any modern course to knock off those entrenched at the top, because there's not much wrong with any of them. (However, if you assumed that some modern courses were in the top ten, it would be hard to knock them out, too.)
The second reason ... if the course has a weakness, it's in the lack of diverse recovery play. Some really wayward shots are simply GONE ... no recovery, just reload. (True of Pebble Beach, too.) But the lack of sandy soils means there are only two types of grass ... short, or thicker than hell and a crapshoot to recover from. Most great courses are much more interesting than the average course in recovery play ... and Pine Valley is #1 because it has more interesting recovery shots than any course.
However, it is good to know that at least one or two people DO think Cape Kidnappers belongs in the top ten. Back in September the Telegraph (UK) rated the course #1 in the world! (Royal County Down was #2, Pebble Beach #3.) See:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ultratravel/2633125/The-worlds-top-ten-golf-courses.htmlI don't really take that seriously, but I do take it as a compliment.