Allow me to bring a distinctly low-brow flavor to this thread...
I had the pleasure of playing Kapalua Plantation last month, and I would be remiss if I did not place it atop this year's list. The routing is equal parts dramatic and grandiose; I thought 10, 13, and 14 were the only weak-ish holes on the course because they seem as though they were stuffed into the northwest part of the property (the fairway left of the bunkers on 16 is a bit of a head-scratcher, too, but the hole is solid otherwise).
Ultimately, aside from the epic views and thrilling landscape, I wasn't really blown away by Plantation because the conditioning was nowhere near what I would consider "elite."
Back home in Texas, I played two courses worth mentioning—The Wilderness in Lake Jackson (Jeff Brauer) and The Bandit (Keith Foster).
As many of you know, gulf shore landscapes are about as boring as it gets, but Brauer highlighted some good holes with some very interesting greens. The par-5 7th features the coolest green I've ever seen, a multi-plateau jellybean that is at least 60 yards long. The Biarritz 16th is no slouch, either, with a 5-foot elevation difference from the trough to the back plateau.
And finally, for those of you who have never had the good fortune to play a Keith Foster track, I encourage you to right that wrong as soon as possible. Foster builds delightful courses that include many golden era elements like camouflage bunkering, large greens, and short fours that beg for an opportunistic strike rather than admonishing one into always taking the "safe route."
The Bandit (outside Seguin, TX) strikes all of these chords and then some, and it also includes the only true redan I've played in Texas (out of 55 courses). The variety of holes and approaches here makes this course one of the best I've played.
Finally, I also played Fazio Foothills at Barton Creek this year, and while it's nice, the abundance of 30-foot live oaks sort of ruins the experience by cramping the effective width of the course. I found it more punishing than delightful.