Mark-Let me make sure I have this right: (1) an excellent Mackenzie course trumps a very good Dick Wilson design and (2) Tom Doak knows what he is talking about. WHO WOULD'VE THUNK IT?
Seriously, I think very few people would jump NCR-South over the more celebrated designs of the old dead guys. However, I have to tell you that I played NCR-South for the first time last week and I was shocked at how good it was. Based on my limited sample of Dick Wilson designs (his work at Scioto, Coldstream and now NCR-South), it is his best effort by far out of that group.
The other Ohio Wilson work left me with the impression that he tried to impose Florida design elements into his work (the man made water features at Coldstream, the totally out of place 8th at Scioto with its peninsula fairway and island green). At NCR-South, he crafted an intelligent, well routed challenging parkland golf course with nary a water hazard. The stretch of holes which begins the back (the uphill then downhill par five 10th to a green with a vicious false front, the plateau situated 11th with its narrow green, the majestic par four 12th with its downhill tee shot that dares you to challenge the bunker on the left to get the best angle of approach to the elevated green and the par three 13th with a green set at a sloping left to right angle away from the tee) is very strong indeed. I also liked the precipitous uphill approach to the 3rd hole and the back to back par fives on the front
I think one could make a decent case that it should be included in the lower reaches of any top 100 list. However, courses like NCR tend to show how silly and arbitrary these rankings are. If one skipped NCR-South because it is not a consensus top 100 course, they would miss a solid, challenging golf course on a terrific piece of property. In fact, of Ohio courses built after 1950, I can only think of two that I would put above NCR-South: The Golf Club (by a wide margin) and Muirfield Village (and it's much closer than I thought before my trip to Dayton).
So, what I am trying to say is that it is possible for a course like NCR-South to be outclassed by courses such as Crystal Downs but also underrated at the same time. For years, Crystal Downs flew under the radar. My understanding is that few people knew about it and fewer people had seen it. However, that changed over time as more people championed its greatness (Tom Doak chiefly among them).
Western Ohio has plenty of courses that fall under that un- or underappreciated umbrella. How many people know about Moraine, Miami Valley or Springfield? Top 100 courses? No, but very good and a load of fun to play. In fact, Western Ohio seems to have a number of good Donald Ross designs that garner little attention. I have resolved to venture outside of Central Ohio to seek these out. There are so many good (notice I did not use the word great) golf courses out there that get lost in the shuffle.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed Crystal Downs...just don't let it dwarf your appreciation of a course like NCR-South.