Phil, so when can we begin that discussion of why GD apparently overlooks Wine Valley?
I have to guess/assume/hope that not enough digest raters have been out there because I cannot understand how it wouldn't make a best in state list.
Possible reasons to overlook WV?
Low rating in RS. Wine Valley is not overt in its penalties. Fairways are massive, the ball runs forever, and there is very little water. I found angles to be extremely important when I played the golf course -- both for minimzing approach yardage and for angle into the green. The second hole is a tremendous example, with an angled green and a convex fairway cut area short of the green. Approaching from the right, downwind, it was one of the most difficult mid-irons I've ever had to hit, even if the penalty for missing is only half a shot. Maybe this doesn't fit well with some raters views of RS, which demand full shot penalties.
Conditioning. There is a lot of pale green at WV, with obvious patches of brown. Bunker edging is truly rugged, not that faux rugged stuff we see at some high-end Fazio courses. I think the course is damned near ideal in the conditioning category, but maybe not so in the eyes of other raters.
Aesthetics. Water features, vegetation, backdrops? OK, let's be fair. The water features at WV look like absolute crap and stick out as abominations on an excellent golf course. I don't care if practically they needed the water for irrrigation, the use of water sucks. Backdrops and vegetation. I guess forever views of nothing do little for some raters.
I still think it must just be short of ratings.