We-Ko-Pa: Per the infamous REM ranking scale, an A equates to an 8. I have 104 courses rated an A or higher and - no kidding - We-Ko-Pa is the last one. Jason, I agree with you about some of the shorter holes (especially 2 and 7) that are among my least favorites on the course. Conversely, I suggest that the 10th ranks with one of the best that C&C have ever done and 16 can be full of peril. The finishing 5-hole stretch is so good and so diverse that it tips the course just past line for me. Having said all that, I can certainly see how someone would opt for a grade less. However, not two as the landscape is so pretty and undisturbed by homes and the holes as a set are so sound.
Pine Needles: ~20 rounds there and always enjoyed myself immensely is a huge head start toward a high grade. HOWEVER, in a recent member-guest there and Mid-Pines, it became apparent how much more contour the middle of the greens enjoy at Mid-Pines. This was never my perception in the first 15 years living here and having watched/walked several Women's Opens at Pine Needles. So ... based that recent experience, Pine Needles is currently under reassessment because Mid-Pines looks and plays a notch higher in my mind now. Re: Mid Pines, my only reservation is that none of the tee balls readily appeal on the par 5 holes (5, 6,10, and 15). The land is a bit too abrupt in the landing areas on 3 of those holes. Conversely, favorites like 4, 12, 16, and 17 require you to rub past bunkers to gain an advantage and are exquisite tactical holes.
Riviera: It is the only '9' that could clearly be improved, especially the 1st, 8th and 13th holes. Regardless, I would rather play there than at 99.99% of the courses in the world. I am slavishly devoted to courses with strategy and Riviera remains right at or near the top in that regard, despite a few aesthetic issues and those lame trees on the inside of 13.
YHC and Pinehurst No. 2: No surprise! Great greens and modest topography is a recipe for divergent opinions. (I would include the Old Course in this group though no one mentioned it.) Most people who hold Yeamans materially lower seem to have played it May through October. Quite fortunately, I generally play it in the winter when the greens can be Oakmont quick and scary. When approach shots release here, a seasonal phenomenon, it's scary good/great to the point where I put the green contours in the top 10 in the country.
As for Pinehurst, it and Harbour Town deserve as much credit as any courses in the world for the eventual formation of GolfClubAtlas.com. The concept of short grass as terror is perfected at Pinehurst. Tom could give every hole there an ! mark because of the merit of each green (though I remain a non-fan of the 15th green).
Royal Ashdown Forest: Tom has said it before, at some point, you are hoping to see something different. Sean, you will agree that RAF is certainly that. Plus, my personal bias is that 95% of most courses are both overly bunkered and poorly bunkered. RAF is neither and significantly - in my eyes – a site blessed with enough natural features to get away with it. Holes of real value include the stretch of 5 -7, the great three shot 12th and 17. The rest is so natural and the connection with nature so genuine that I happily overlook the occasional dull moment (though there is never a dull stretch). Having said that, for sure, I wish they could add 5 to 7 bunkers here and there.
Best,