Jack, part of the reason I rank this year below 2010 is that so many of the courses we've seen this year are bastardized. There's not a shred of Langford left at Wakonda. Merion was beautiful and the design shone through, but it was definitely a bit tricked up. Oak Hill has been heavily manipulated.
Looking just at majors, I would argue that 2010 had better "acclaimed" courses hosting championships. Oakmont, Pebble Beach, The Old Course, and Whistling Straits are just slightly better than Merion, Sebonack, Muirfield, Fox Chapel, and Oak Hill for me (just slightly, but still a bit better). I would also say that the less acclaimed courses were more INTERESTING. I just find Sahalee and Chambers Bay more architecturally interesting than places like Omaha.
My vote goes to 2010, but it's close and both years were great.