Tom,
I'm not suggesting the Ocean is a "great" golf course, but you know what? It is offbeat and a whole lot of fun. You've not been back, but our observation the green on #14 was too narrow and poorly graded ended up being modified a short time after we were out there.
As I get older and shorter (spinal surgery will do that to you), the Lake can be exhausting and an airy wander on the Ocean Course has plenty of interesting quirks. Maybe not seamless textural architecture (like Shinnecock), but a "collection of tchotchke" strung together has its own appeal.
The idea is planning a day that is enjoyable and unique, which the Cliffs course certainly qualifies experientially. It reminds me of the looks I get suggesting - when on Long Island - to vector over for a quick round at Westhampton.
It is not in the pantheon of NY Met layouts, but - like the New Course at St. Andrews - it is has its own compact elegance, like a truncated Fishers Island without the fanfare. Then again, I go out of my way to play the Eden Course and still laugh very hard at Dr. Strangelove . . . . .
Whether you and the intellectuals ought to "quit building courses" deserves a flag for unnecessary roughness. That is kind of an insult; we have been friends for many years and my taste - though offbeat - has its own quirky logic. "The Pit" (RIP) remains one of my favorite courses - and my resume is better than most.
There are things about Apache Stronghold I like better than your beloved Pac Dunes - but then again, I'd play WF East 5:1 against the West if I were a member.
As for Half Moon Bay, I believe it is well worth a try just for entertainment value. Not everything must be bursting with serious intellectual content. There is plenty of room for Harold and Maude and a bong hit. Maybe every hole at HMB does not work perfectly, but the plot of Caddy Shack does not have any structure either.
Somebody ought to tell Tennessee Chad to go play Pacific Grove . . . . . . and then Peter Hay.