What do pro golfers and media think of Caves Valley? Reviews are mixed.

Professional golf is unlike most other sports.

In the NFL and NBA, stadium designs might vary, but the fields playing dimensions never change.

The Ravens arent allowed to innovate by using a longer or wider field although that might serve them well with their offensive firepower.Everything is standardized.

Thats not true in professional golf.Each week, golf courses on the PGA Tour can vary dramatically.

Most courses are quite long to combat the increasing distance of the games best players, but everything from hole design to grass type can change on a weekly basis.

Radical weekly change lends itself to course debates, as players, fans and media argue the merits of the top tracks on tour.This weeks BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills a venue that isnt an annual PGA Tour stop and underwent renovations since hosting the 2021 event has drawn plenty of analysis from fans and media members alike.

Heres a look at some of the reviews of the par-70, 7,600-yard private course, which has received mixed feedback.Course conditions superbTheres no debating the condition of Caves Valley, which is well maintained and features picturesque views throughout the course.Its in fantastic shape, World No.

1 Scottie Scheffler said Wednesday.

The greens are really good.

Got a decent amount of rough, plenty of pitch on the greens.

Theres definitely going to be some challenges out there.

Its a pretty strong test this week.With new PrecisionAire systems beneath the greens, Caves Valley is better equipped to handle rain than it was in 2021.

In the simplest terms, PrecisionAire allows courses to blow air from underneath wet greens to help them dry more quickly than they would naturally.A fair test, players sayCaves Valley requires good play to reach the top of the leaderboard, according to the players.Its a tough course.

Youve got to drive it well.

Youve got to hit fairways.

The fairway bunkers are quite penalizing with the big lips, Ludvig Aberg said Friday.

So far Ive been keeping myself out of those, which has been nice.

I think overall the greens are rolling nice, quite breaky putts, quite tricky and fast going down the hills, and youve got to leave yourself in the right spots, which is the way its supposed to be.Aberg shot 10-under par through his first three rounds.

Scheffler, who was 12-under par through three rounds, said Wednesday that players want to see a fair test of golf.I think sometimes we get a little bit obsessed with score to par in terms of golf course design, Schefler said.

What we look for as players always is rewarding good shots and punishing bad ones.

So far this golf course seems really challenging.Outside of the occasional pin placement, hes been pleased by the test offered by Caves Valley.BMW Championship at Caves Valley final rounds | PHOTOSCourse setup draws questionsPlayers have shared praise for the course publicly.

Their only major complaints have come regarding course setup, rather than the course itself.Denny McCarthy, a Maryland native and one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, was miffed by the difference between the practice putting green and the greens on the course.The putting greens have no slope here, and they dont seem that fast, and then theres a lot of slope out on the course and theyre really fast, he said after Fridays round.

So it was quite a dramatic difference, almost pointless to putt on the putting green to start your round.

I dont know whats going on there.Scheffler was flummoxed by the pin placement on No.

11 during Thursdays round.

He hit a wedge shot that landed close to the pin on the short par 4, only for it to roll off the green and near the water in front of the green complex.Well, typically around most places when you hit it right of the pin, it kind of stays somewhat around there, but for some reason they decided to put that pin right on a mound in the middle of the green there, Scheffler said after his first round.

Very interesting pin location, and I landed just behind it, and then it catches another slope.

I stared at it for a while because I thought I hit a really good shot, and it almost went in the water, so I was just a little bit surprised at the result of the shot that I hit.There were also questions about the fifth hole, a short par 4, at the beginning of the week.

Players suggested that trying to drive the green would be an unnecessary risk.Its obvious theyve tried to make it a risk-reward hole, but I just dont know if the risk is worth the reward, Rory McIlroy said Wednesday.

Its just a very, very tough green to go for off the tee, and if you miss the green at all on the right in that rough, its going to be almost impossible to hit the green with your chip shot.

I think youre just going to see a lot of guys lay up there and take the 100-yard wedge shot and try to make 3 that way.Those questions seemed to be answered Saturday, with several players attempting to drive the green, including McIlroy.

Tournament leader Robert MacIntyre missed the green left off the tee, hitting into a section of trees and bushes.

He saved par by hitting out of the bushes onto the back of the green and two-putting.

Saturday, the hole had risk and reward off the tee..@robert1lefty made par from where Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/fX9iKcNUgQ PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 16, 2025One scathing reviewWhile most public critiques of the course have been minor, The Fried Eggs Joseph LaMagna didnt hold back in a recent newsletter about the course.

The Fried Egg is a popular golf media entity with expertise in golf course architecture and design.In many ways, the Tom Fazio design and subsequent renovations represent some of the worst ideas that have taken hold in professional golf, LaMagna wrote.

A par 70 measuring 7,600 yards, Caves Valleys primary defense is length, narrow fairways, and thick rough.Related ArticlesMacIntyre leads BMW Championship after battling Caves Valley crowd: Ill give you crap backAkshay Bhatia makes hole-in-one at BMW Championship at Caves ValleyRobert MacIntyre still leads BMW Championship, but Scottie Scheffler loomsInside the ropes: Ravens legend appears at BMW Championship at Caves ValleyTakoma Park native Denny McCarthy leans on vocal crowd at BMW ChampionshipLaMagnas biggest gripe with Caves Valley is that it doesnt test multiple aspects of players games.

Instead, he says its mostly asking if players can repeatedly hit the ball high, far and straight.I will suggest that the recent, expensive renovation missed the mark, LaMagna continued writing.

When a golf courses only defense is length, it results in a brutish, one-dimensional test.

Id like to have seen more of an effort to create strategic options on the ground instead of repeatedly providing narrow corridors and nondescript bunkers on just about every hole.Hes OK if the PGA Tour doesnt return to Caves Valley, which has initiation fees upwards of $100,000 with annual dues of $10,000, according to Forbes.Im sure the membership is lovely, but Caves Valley shouldnt be hosting top-tier professional golf tournaments, he said.Youll struggle to find other critiques quite as harsh, and LaMagnas disdain for the course was shared before the event began.

He doesnt like Caves Valley as a course, but Saturdays rowdy atmosphere suggests the region is starving for more professional golf.Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.Denny McCarthy of Rockville watches his ball from the teeing area of the 2nd hole during third round play in the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Kim Hairston/Staff)Cameron Young gestures after he tees off to start his third round play of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Kim Hairston/Staff)Denny McCarthy of Rockville tees off to start his third round play in the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Kim Hairston/Staff)Spectators leave their seats at the first tee during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Kim Hairston/Staff)J.J.

Spaun raises his ball toward the gallery after sinking a putt on the 1st hole as Denny McCarthy of Rockville lines up his shot in the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Kim Hairston/Staff)Leader Robert MacIntyre makes a 41 foot birdie putt on the 18th to finish the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Leader Robert MacIntyre pumps his fist after a 41 foot birdie putt on the 18th to finish the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Golf fans watch Viktor Hovland tee off to start the second round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Harry Hall gestures to the crowd after birdieing the 9th hole in the second round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, hits from the sand trap to approach the 18th hole in the second round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Xander Schauffele tees off at the15th green in which he played for par during the first round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)Scottie Scheffler plays to the 8th hole in which he played for par during the first round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)A ridge of spectators along the fairway to watch Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy on the 8th fairway during the first round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)Tommy Fleetwood lines up a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Maverick McNealy putts on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Sam Burns hits his approach shot to the 18th hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Harry Hall putts for a birdie on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Sam Burns makes a birdie putt on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Rory McIlroy hits out of the sand on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Rory McIlroy reacts after his hit from the sand pit on the 17th hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Scottie Scheffler putts the ninth hole during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Ludvig Aberg relaxes after birdieing on the 18th to finish third after the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Ludvig Aberg makes a birdie putt on the 18th to finish third after the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Ludvig Aberg acknowledges the crowd after birdieing the 18th hole to finish third after the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Leader Robert MacIntyre reacts after a 41 foot birdie putt on the 18th to finish the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

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Lam/staff)Show Caption1 of 25Denny McCarthy of Rockville watches his ball from the teeing area of the 2nd hole during third round play in the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club.

(Kim Hairston/Staff)Expand.

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