Matt,
Thank you for this thread as it really got me to think about the two courses and why I gave Pacific Dunes a higher rating that Ballyneal. First, I don't think there is anything wrong with Ballyneal. I loved it and could play it every day, but I think that Pacific Dunes is in a class by itself among the courses I've seen.
In my mind, Pacific Dunes wins on many levels. First, I like the fact that the Pacific is more of a core golf course in that all the holes fit together and are not just strung around a huge piece of property. I've read others criticize Bandon Dunes for taking up so much land for its 18 holes. Ballyneal seems to take up a lot more. Even given the tighter layout, I think the holes at Pacific are superior.
I find the start of Pacific to be much more interesting. The first 2 holes at Pacific are quirky and full of interest. The first 2 at Ballyneal are very good holes, but much more straight forward to me. They don't capture my interest or set the mood as well.
If I were to do the traditional match play that Ran and others like, the battle wouldn't be close to me. But, I don't like that as it matches unlike holes. So I'll compare more similar holes.
First the par 3s. There are 5 at Pacific and 4 at Ballyneal. #5 at both courses are fairly similar. I find Pacific's to be a much more interesting version. The green has more character, the area short of the green is better and I like the kick of the left dune better than the one off the right at Ballyneal. Since there are two shorter 3s at Pacific (11 & 14) and only one at Ballyneal (3), it is hard to compare, but I personally would take either of Pacific's vs #3 at Ballyneal. I'll compare 10 at Pacific to 11 at Ballyneal. The green at Ballyneal is more interesting and the shot from the far left tee is intimidating. #10 at PD is interesting with the two radically different tee shots, but I give the edge to Ballyneal here. #15 at Ballyneal is one of my favorite holes there, with the ridge short of the green and much of the green hidden from view and while I love a Redan as much as anyone other than my long-lost twin brother, #17 at Pacific isn't anywhere near as interesting although it might be tougher.
In comparing the par 4s, there are 9 at Pacific and 11 at Ballyneal. Pacific has more interesting short par 4s. 1, 6 and 16 are all short par 4s while 7 is really the only short par 4 at Ballyneal. I do like the green at 7 at Ballyneal, but the approach at 6 beats it and the other two are a lot of fun while making you hit a good drive and precise second. Just having 3 short par 4s puts Pacific ahead of Ballyneal.
In the mid-range holes, I'd say that 2, 8, and 9 at Pacific compare with 1, 9, 12 and 14 at Ballyneal. 2 is a magical hole with lots of ways to play it, 8 has a great simple green and 9 is so unusual with the two greens and plays so different depending on which one is in play. To me, 1 at Ballyneal is straight forward with the only question being how much you can carry on the tee shot although the green does have quite a bit of character. 9 is the best of the mid-range par 4s at Ballyneal with the decision off the tee about how much club to take and a green surface that is hidden from view. 12 has an interesting green and a requirement to hit the ball to the correct place to see it. 14 has the good center bunker and the green is good up on the hill, but doesn't do much else for me.
For the longer par 4s, Pacific brings 3 to the table, 4, 7 and 13 and all are all-world to me. 7 is probably one of the hardest holes I've played and the way the other two move along the cliffs and play so differently depending on the wind is awesome. Ballyneal has a much larger set of long par 4s with 2, 6, 10, 13, 17 and 18 all requiring two good shots to reach the green. 2, 6 and 18 are all good tests, but don't excite me the way Pacific's do although the different looks on 6 depending on which tee you choose make it a cut above the others. 10 and 13 give good options from the shorter tees with bunkers that can be taken on or avoided and have interesting green complexes. From the back tees they are both beasts. 17 is a good hole with a good green, but the second shot from the top wasn't that appealing and from below the hill was awkward.
For par 5s, Pacific has 4 vs Ballyneal's 3. Some might say that the par 5s are Pacific's weakness as three of them cross the flatter land on the course, but I think at least three of them are excellent. #3 has good center bunkering and the green sitting on the ridge is wonderful. I fell in love with this hole when I found you could putt around the front right bunker to a hole set behind it. #12 is probably the blandest hole there, but the green, while flat is nicely set between the left fronting dune and the big one behind it. #15's tee shot reminds me of the tee shot at #7 at Dornoch in that you have to avoid the gorse on both sides. From there the hole gets interesting in determining how to play around the bunkers and then get to the raised green. 18 is a great finisher with trouble everywhere and a curious green. As for Ballyneal, #4 is a very good hole with a tee shot that seems to fly forever. The green is very good with some interesting movement and shelves. #8 is the best of the lot with a tee shot that gets narrow at the right point and then a very challenging second over the bunkers to a great green complex. #8 is the best par 5 at either course in my mind. #16 is a weird hole to me as the second shot is either a very short layup leaving a long second or a tough blind one that is hard to fit into a narrow area. I wasn't very thrilled by it and would consider it my least favorite par 5 at the two courses.
I prefer the finishing 3 holes at Pacific much more than the final 3 at Ballyneal. 16 through 18 at Ballyneal seemed to be my least favorite stretch on the course, whereas I found 16-18 at Pacific to keep my excitement growing.
I think that Ballyneal is a wonderful course, but I think that Pacific is a great course. I haven't seen Sand Hills, Friar's Head or many others yet so I will say that Pacific is the best modern course I've seen to this point.
While I was typing up this reply, Tom posted his and I think I'm in pretty close agreement with him on much of this.