That list is indeed screwy...
Have played about half of those courses and the order/rank is very bizarre.
I do, however, know of a course in New Hampshire that - next to the Ocean Course at Kiawah - is the hardest course I have played.
http://www.sterlinggolf.com/shattuck/pictures.htmIt's called "the Shattuck" and was designed by Brian Silva. I play to around scratch to +1 and, the first time I played it, I lost 9 BALLS!! Ok, so i was off a bit, but still...
This course is very pretty and one can see all kinds of wildlife and mountain views. BUT, if your tee shot is just 4-8 feet off-line, then you are dropping or re-hitting.
I met Brian two years ago and we had lunch as we interviewed him for our course project in Chicago. Great guy and he told me that due to envirnmental concerns, he could not build the fairways and greens surrounds to the original drawings.
I love that this course is just 5 minutes from my parent's summer house, but I do not run out and play when I visit. One ranking had it listed as the "21st most difficult course in the US"...
It's also only about $30 to play plus a cart that is (sadly) needed due to distances from greens to tees.