Having never been to PV, I'll ask: is the secret ingrediant that makes it the (near) consensus #1 the length of time taken to design and build it? Or the collaboration between so many great archies? Or because Crump was the main decision maker AND spend so much time on-site?
I can't see all of these ingrediants coming together again.
What if Coore & Crenshaw lived at Sand Hills for a decade? And owned the property? And sought out other's opinions in full force? Would SH then have been able to crack the top 5 and/or vie for #1?
Matt:
Ask any writer or advertising person and they will tell you -- people fall for a good story.
Pine Valley has a great backstory, as we all know. So do Augusta National, and Oakmont, and Cypress Point, and Oakland Hills. And certainly St. Andrews, too.
Sand Hills has its own story [about the 120 holes, and about how little earth was moved], which has served it quite well, too. Bandon Dunes resort has a story -- even a book. Barnbougle Dunes has its narrative, about how a self-professed spud farmer who knew nothing about golf could wind up developing a great course. Even Streamsong already has its own narrative, about how Bill Coore and I worked together to route the two courses.
Do not be fooled for a minute that these stories aren't important to the rankings successes of these various projects. I'm certainly not saying that they aren't great courses -- I'm already on record about how much I respect each of them. But, I'm saying that a great new course will likely need its own great narrative. And, in regard to your example, the same narrative as Pine Valley's is probably not going to be enough.