I can dig the points Neil makes on 14/16/18.
14 works, as a hole, because it creates this awkward catch-22. Playing from high-point to high-point in a windy spot, you want to play a lower-flighted, piercing shot... but stronger players have to pull it off with a short iron or wedge. I like that conundrum, but it's definitely tough, especially with the north wind to a front pin.
And along the same lines, if there's a single thing about Pac Dunes I don't love, it's that it has a few more short and technical holes than I'd probably prefer, and not as many brawnier and more athletic holes. That's just personal preference - I admire the uniquely sporty character of the course, but I do like a fair share of "big" holes. And in a windy spot, it's almost nice to hit a few more approach shots with mid-and-longer irons, and a few fewer with wedges.
In that light, it's not surprising that someone might also criticize 16. But I also think he's complaining about his own lack of course management a bit there. Sure, that right side gathers balls left short. It's essentially a hazard in plain sight. But if that lanky whiny guy can score an eagle putt on that hole, nobody has any right to complain about getting stuck with a ticklish pitch.
I don't love 18. But I probably could use a few more plays. I'm not going to bitch about it in the same post where I complain that Pac Dunes might not have enough brawny, athletic holes. Really, it reminds me a bit of my home club's finishing par 5 - it's not especially charming (although it's very handsome), and it's not meant to be. It's a par 5 home hole where good play will yield a birdie putt, but not if you hit a loose shot along the way. I don't think it would be a better hole if it rewarded an indiscriminately bashed driver, for example.