Pat,
Fenway is a gap in my golf architecture education, sadly, from what I hear. But, I would push back on on Winged Foot West (and possibly also East) relative to Quaker Ridge. True, there are some common architectural themes, Not surpring, I guess. But, I do find them different in character. Winged Foot strikes me as unabashedly intended for championship golf. I don't consider the site especially blessed. What is striking is the architecture, especially the greens and green complexes overall. They really come across as a stern test.
To me, however, Quaker Ridge, while also being a great test, has an overall pleasantness about the place I just never found or observed at Winged Foot. Put another way, Quaker Ridge is the course I rather play on a regular basis while Winged Foot seems like the place to really have your skills tested knowing that the experience is likely to be humbling.
Sean,
Yes, a course could be great without being unique. But, as Tom Doak put it, when you consider the greatest of the great, by and large they do have their own character, IMO.