Colonial Springs Golf Club (Valley/Lake)

Overview: Colonial Springs Golf Club’s Valley/Lake routing pairs the open Valley nine with the water-shaped Lakes nine. The reviewed scorecard lists a par-72 round of 6,089 yards, making this the shorter of the three selected Colonial Springs combinations while retaining the full variety of the property. Sandy Long Island soil, oak and pine cover, ponds and shaped fairways give the route a distinctive character. It is a strategically different round from Pines/Valley or Lake/Pines, not simply a shorter tee setup.

History: Colonial Springs opened in 1995 with 27 holes originally designed by Arthur Hills. The club’s conversion to private operation and the staged Robert Trent Jones Jr. renovation began in 2004, with the last phase completed in 2007. The Valley/Lake routing shows the benefit of that three-nine concept: a course can combine the same design family in a different sequence and produce another credible 18-hole experience.

Did You Know? Valley/Lake is the only Colonial Springs pairing in this group that starts with the Valley nine and finishes with Lakes. That order changes the way the round builds, moving from broader land into the more water-defined closing stretch.