Caves Valley Golf Club

Q: Which hole is hardest at Caves Valley Golf Club?

Hole 6 has stroke index 1 — the hardest hole on the scorecard.

Owings Mills, United States

Par

Holes

Yards

7,226

Par 3 / 4 / 5

4 · 11 · 3

Course Layout

226 features mapped — fairways, greens, bunkers, tees, water. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Fairway Green Bunker Tee Water

Hole-by-Hole Strategy

Dogleg and layup calls derived from hole centerline geometry. 10 doglegs · 9 layup holes.

#	Par	Yards	Plays Like	Shape	Call
1	4	461	452 -9y · -30ft	Slight dogleg left (20.4°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	4	337	312 -25y · -82ft	Sharp dogleg right (41.0°)	LAYUP Sharp right-hand dogleg (41.0°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
3	5	565	561 -4y · -13ft	Moderate dogleg right (25.4°)	LAYUP Par 5 at 565y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
4	3	220	221 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
5	4	469	475 +6y · +20ft	Slight dogleg left (13.2°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
6	4	490	491 +1y · +3ft	Moderate dogleg right (29.6°)	LAYUP 490y par 4 with a moderate dogleg. Treat as a three-shot hole unless you carry 280+ off the tee.
7	5	598	602 +4y · +13ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 598y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
8	3	215	205 -10y · -33ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
9	4	473	500 +27y · +89ft	Moderate dogleg right (36.9°)	LAYUP 473y par 4 with a moderate dogleg. Treat as a three-shot hole unless you carry 280+ off the tee.
10	4	361	340 -21y · -69ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
11	4	590	586 -4y · -13ft	Slight dogleg right (17.5°)	LAYUP 590y par 4 with a slight dogleg. Treat as a three-shot hole unless you carry 280+ off the tee.
12	3	222	208 -14y · -46ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
13	5	586	604 +18y · +59ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 586y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
14	4	350	313 -37y · -121ft	Sharp dogleg right (62.4°)	LAYUP Sharp right-hand dogleg (62.4°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
15	3	222	260 +38y · +125ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
16	4	427	395 -32y · -105ft	Moderate dogleg left (30.9°)	Favor the right side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
17	4	476	508 +32y · +105ft	Moderate dogleg right (25.3°)	LAYUP 476y par 4 with a moderate dogleg. Treat as a three-shot hole unless you carry 280+ off the tee.
18	4	464	495 +31y · +102ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
Total	71	7,526	Distances from OSM centerlines; elevation from SRTM (Open-Meteo).

Course by the Numbers

Calculated from 226 mapped features. Areas are measured directly from the polygon geometry.

94 bunkers

17,154 sq yd of sand — 5.2 bunkers per hole on average.

499 sq yd

Largest bunker on the course — bigger than most tees.

688 sq yd avg green

Classification: Large greens (~6,500 sq ft avg) — tough 3-putt territory. Huge surfaces — a 40-ft putt is a common outcome even from a good shot.

1403 sq yd

Largest green on the course — a three-club difference front-to-back is possible.

1.53 ha of fairway

Total groomed playing surface across 7 fairway zones.

10 doglegs

2 sharp, 8 moderate. Plotting a line off the tee matters more here than pure distance.

9 layup holes

Best played as three-shot holes for anyone outside single figures — chasing them turns pars into doubles.

Hole 7: 598y

The longest hole on the card — par 5. Know your layup number before you tee off.

94 bunkers · 29 greens · 7 fairway zones · 95 tee boxes · 1 water hazards.

About Caves Valley Golf Club

Caves Valley Golf Club is a member-owned, not-for-profit corporation in Owings Mills, Maryland—a suburb northwest of Baltimore. The Tom Fazio designed golf course opened 35 years ago in 1991, and is known for its fast greens, rolling fairways, and water hazards. The club and course span 962 acres of rolling hills, pastures, woods, and wetlands. The property features 18 holes of golf, a practice facility, clubhouse and 49 overnight rooms spread among the clubhouse and seven on-site golf cottages.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

What Should You Expect to Shoot?

These expected scores use the World Handicap System formula: your handicap index × slope ÷ 113, plus course rating. Use them to set a realistic target before you tee off.

Championship

Rating 75.3 · Slope 142 · Par 71 · 7,226 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	11	86	+15
10	17	92	+21
15	23	98	+27
20	29	105	+34
25	36	111	+40
30	42	117	+46

Back

Rating 73.0 · Slope 137 · Par 71 · 6,708 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	8	81	+10
10	14	87	+16
15	20	93	+22
20	26	99	+28
25	32	105	+34
30	38	111	+40

Middle

Rating 71.0 · Slope 133 · Par 71 · 6,228 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	6	77	+6
10	12	83	+12
15	18	89	+18
20	24	95	+24
25	29	100	+29
30	35	106	+35

Forward

Rating 66.1 · Slope 111 · Par 71 · 5,265 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	0	66	+-5
10	5	71	+0
15	10	76	+5
20	15	81	+10
25	20	86	+15
30	25	91	+20

Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par	4	4	5	3	4	4	5	3	4	36	4	4	3	5	4	3	4	4	4	35	71
Yards	426	385	519	224	439	490	564	215	435	3,697	365	463	192	585	335	219	430	480	460	3,529	7,226
Stroke Index	7	3	13	11	17	1	9	15	5		8	4	16	2	10	6	18	12	14

Holes That Decide Your Round

Hardest Hole · SI 1

Hole 6

Par 4 · 490 yards

Play for the fat of the green and take bogey off the table. Build your pre-round plan →

Longest Hole

Hole 13

Par 5 · 585 yards

Three good shots beats two heroic ones. Bogey here is a solid result for anyone above 10 handicap.

Scoring Opportunity

Hole 12

Par 3 · 192 yards

Attack the pin — if your wedge game is on, this is where strokes get gained back.

Easiest Hole · SI 18

Hole 16

Par 4 · 430 yards

Expected par or better. If you drop a stroke here, it's usually a mental mistake — which is trackable.

Pre-Round Checklist for Caves Valley Golf Club

Know your average distance off the tee — budget for 11 par-4 tee shots. Check 4 par-3 yardages — pick your go-to clubs now, not on the tee. Plan hole 6 (hardest) for bogey — don't chase birdie there. Hole 13 is long — know your layup number. Arrive 45 min early — 15 range, 10 short game, 10 putting, 10 to the tee.

Your Game Plan for Caves Valley Golf Club

The scorecard tells you the course. The Grand Plan assessment tells you you — which part of your game is actually bleeding strokes. Pair both, and you have a pre-round strategy tailored to this course AND your weaknesses.

Take the 2-min Assessment Try the App Free for 30 Days

Tee Sets

Championship

Yards:: 7,226
Par:: 71
Course Rating:: 75.3
Slope:: 142

Back

Yards:: 6,708
Par:: 71
Course Rating:: 73.0
Slope:: 137

Middle

Yards:: 6,228
Par:: 71
Course Rating:: 71.0
Slope:: 133

Forward

Yards:: 5,265
Par:: 71
Course Rating:: 66.1
Slope:: 111

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the par at Caves Valley Golf Club?

Caves Valley Golf Club is a par 71 course with 18 holes measuring 7,226 total yards. Front nine par 36 (3,697 yards), back nine par 35 (3,529 yards).

What is the longest hole at Caves Valley Golf Club?

The longest hole is hole 13, a par 5 playing 585 yards.

Which hole is hardest at Caves Valley Golf Club?

Hole 6 has the lowest stroke index (1). It's a par 4 playing 490 yards.

What should I shoot at Caves Valley Golf Club?

Use the expected-score table above — it's calculated from your handicap and this course's official WHS rating and slope. A 15 handicap typically shoots mid-80s to low-90s depending on the tee set; a 25 handicap mid-90s to low-100s. Track your actual scores against these targets to see how your game travels.