I have to qualify my answer to this by the fact that I have not visited Pine Valley, NGLA, Merion or the Old Course, but have walked Yale, Chicago Golf, Augusta and Cyprus Point and I have played Oakmont, Holston Hills, French Lick, Kirtland, and Camargo…..golf courses which profile the master architects in their prime.
For my money Cypress Point is unsurpassed and the greatest golf course yet built: you have every variety of shot demands in the opening holes of 1-5. And then there is arguably the heart of the golf course, in holes 6-13, where the skill of hitting to targets that are set in unmodified native vistas, over deflecting approaches, onto greens where 3-6 foot elevation changes are met.
14-17 are just the most beautiful golf holes anywhere on planet earth. The cypress trees on 14 appear to have dictated the green and fairway placement, and when you walk through that alley of trees it’s as close to heaven this side of glory that you will ever experience.