Caves Valley Golf Club: A Complete Guide to Maryland’s Hunt Country Gem

When Patrick Cantlay survived that six-hole playoff marathon at Caves Valley in 2021, beating Bryson DeChambeau on his way to the FedEx Cup title, he cemented something important: the Baltimore County gem belongs on golf's biggest stages.

And now, four years later... it's back.

The 2025 BMW Championship is underway at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, this week, and after two years of major renovations, the Tom Fazio design is ready to bite.

Forget the marketing speak about "enhancements." The first hole now plays 100 yards longer, with the fairway dropped and the green shifted left. That's not tweaking — that's rebuilding. The old first was already a bear from the back tees. Now it's legitimately frightening.

But here's what really matters: Caves Valley installed a new sub-surface system under every green to control temperature and moisture. Translation? Firm and fast. The fifth hole features what's now being called the most challenging green on the course — just nine paces deep. Nine paces. That's target golf under pressure with the BMW on the line.

Les Disharoon didn't build Caves Valley to host member-guests. When the Monumental Corporation CEO acquired 962 acres of Baltimore County hunt country in the late 1970s, he wanted a championship venue. Period. Baltimore Country Club was fine for tradition, but Disharoon envisioned something different: a course that could host majors.

He hired Tom Fazio in 1986, when Fazio was still making his name. Smart money. The course that opened in 1991 immediately drew attention, but it took the 2002 U.S. Senior Open to prove its championship mettle. Don Pooley's playoff victory over Tom Watson validated everything Disharoon had planned.

Here's the thing about Caves Valley that TV doesn't capture: it's sneaky long without being stupid long. The card reads 7,226 from the tips, but this week it'll stretch beyond 7,500 yards. More importantly, Fazio built variety into every hole.

The opening stretch down into the valley (yes, the actual caves valley) looks benign. It's not. The first four holes after the renovated opener play through subtle terrain that rewards course knowledge and punishes assumptions. Bunkers sit exactly where aggressive lines take you. Greens tilt away from obvious pin positions.

Then comes the climb back up through holes six, seven and eight. This is where Fazio's routing genius shows. The elevation gain never feels severe, but by the time you reach the ninth tee, you've climbed 60 feet without realizing it. The ninth itself — that uphill par-4 with the creek shadowing the right side — separates contenders from survivors.

Two holes will decide the BMW Championship: the 13th and 17th. Both are par-3s over environmentally protected ravines. Both demand precise iron play. Miss short, you're dead. Miss long, you're scrambling from thick rough with downhill lies.

Patrick Cantlay proved in 2021 that this course rewards patience and punishes ego. His six-hole playoff victory over DeChambeau came down to execution under extreme pressure. That's what Caves Valley does — it strips away everything except pure golf skill.

The BMW Championship has been named "Tournament of the Year" six times, and there's a reason for that. The Western Golf Association knows how to run events. But August in Maryland? That's weather roulette. Humidity, afternoon thunderstorms, thick air that kills distance.

The players who win at Caves Valley adapt to conditions, not just course setup. And that's what makes Caves Valley special. It rewards the best golf, not the biggest names.