Colonial Springs Golf Club

Colonial Springs Golf Club's Valley 9 represents one portion of Arthur Hills's design work at this Long Island facility in East Farmingdale. Hills, known for his strategic bunkering and thoughtful use of natural terrain, developed the course during a period when suburban New York golf was expanding to meet growing demand. The Valley nine takes its name from the property's topography, which features more pronounced elevation changes than typical Long Island layouts. The routing moves through a mix of wooded corridors and open fairways, with the elevation shifts creating both uphill and downhill approaches that add variety to club selection and shot-making. Hills incorporated his characteristic bunker style—often deep with grass faces—to frame landing areas and greens. The design emphasizes strategic options rather than forced carries, allowing players of different skill levels to navigate the holes through course management. Colonial Springs operates as a public facility, serving both daily-fee players and members in the densely populated Long Island golf market. The Valley 9 can be combined with the club's other nines to create different eighteen-hole configurations, a common approach in the region that provides variety for regular players. The course sits within the broader East Farmingdale area, where residential development and commercial activity have increased significantly since the course's construction, making the wooded sections of the property particularly valued for their relative seclusion.