OWINGS MILL, Md. - The highly regarded, Tom Fazio-designed Caves Valley Golf Club just north of Baltimore has hosted the U.S. Senior Open, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Championships and the Palmer Cup. It welcomes another prestigious international event this week with the arrival of the International Crown to the beautiful par-71 layout. Throughout this course fans will find elevated greens, rolling fairways, deep greenside bunkers and challenging fairway bunkers that players will have to aggressively challenge. Here’s a breakdown of the course that will crown the world’s best country in women’s golf.

1 – Fans will see lots of irons and hybrids off the tee here just to the right of the fairway bunker left. But aggressive players may try to hit a draw off the right fairway bunkers leaving a short pitch shot into the shortest par-4 on the course. But that line is risky, and the approach shot is tough enough from the fairway. A fun opening hole that will challenge players’ mental games. This hole could be moved up

2 – The second longest par-4 on the course and second toughest hole on the course, winding back right. The fairway shouldn’t be tough to hit off the tee, but players will still have long to mid irons into an elevated green. Par’s a good score here.

3 – Hole is 182 yards but plays downhill and won’t play as far as it reads. Three large bunkers protect front and with a large hill as a backboard behind it, the miss is long here. The green is narrow but should hold players mid irons in.

4 – Even the bombers probably won’t have a chance of hitting this green in two. Players can shorten this hole by hugging the right edge of the left fairway bunker off the tee. The approach is up the hill to an elevated green protected by two bunkers. Miss it long here.

5 – The hard dogleg right is the second shortest par-4 on the course and most players will hit something other than driver here. The approach shot is uphill to a sloping back-to-front green.

6 – At 180 yards, players are faced with another long to mid iron par-3. Making this hole even more difficult is perhaps the narrowest green on the course.

7 – A winding dogleg left fairway finds four fairway bunkers in the landing area left. Longer hitters that are able to keep it in the fairway will have an easier time holding this green on the approach to a green with three deep bunkers protecting in front. Players will hit into a narrow green complex, sloping left to right.

8 – This tee shot is like so many on this Fazio design – forces you to aggressively attack a fairway bunker off the tee with your line. And the green is like so many at Caves Valley – elevated, slanted and narrow, requiring an accurate approach. Par’s a solid score here.

9 – At 428 yards, this won’t be an easy finish to the front nine. This is another tee shot where the fairway bunkers are firmly in play and forces players to test the left side of the fairway. Most players will be left with a long iron or hybrid into another elevated green protected by a large, deep bunker in front and four bunkers surrounding.

10 – The longest par-4 on the course at 432 yards welcomes players to the back-nine. There’s a substantial fat area of this fairway that players will be hitting a driver into off the tee but four fairway bunkers await longer players who get too aggressive. The green is slightly elevated and should play tougher when the pins located back right behind a deep front bunker.

11 – A picturesque dogleg is protected by water on the right running the length of the hole and a fairway bunker left that will collect any players trying to hug the left side too aggressively. The green is elevated and players can’t miss right.

12 – Water hugs the right here as well, but players should reach this par-5 in two. Players will want to set themselves up on the left side of this fairway, which is protected by three fairway bunkers, to have the best line at going for it in two shots with a fairway bunker and water penalizing players who miss right on the second.

13 – A scary 182-yard par-3 here for players hitting over water to the largest green on the course. The back left pin position here will make this hole substantially tougher than other days. Long and right are the misses here for players hitting a long iron into this green.

14 – Players will want to keep their tee ball down the left side of the fairway on this hole to have the best angle of approach into the green. Three greenside bunkers right protect this green

15 – The No. 1 handicap on the hole provides a challenge on the way in as this long par-4 demands

16 – The toughest par-5 on the course requires an extremely accurate tee shot to a narrow fairway. At 539 yards, very few players will have the distance to reach it in two. It’s a nearly impossible task anyways as the horizontal sitting green is extremely narrow and one of the more difficult greens on the course.

17 – Players will find a beautiful 187-yard par-3 with a small pond protecting front right. Long irons and hybrids will fire at a back-to-front sloping green with a bunker front left and another just behind the green. Par is a good score here.

18 – A winding creek runs up the right side of the fairway all the way to the green and will collect shots that miss right on the approach into the green. Players should hit their driver at the edge of the left fairway bunkers and have a mid to long iron in.

Caves Valley Golf Club Course Breakdown

Related Articles