Player at Lyman Orchards Golf Club
About
Lyman Orchards is a popular Connecticut destination most known for the nearly 100 varieties of pick-your-own fruit but it also offers two championship 18-hole golf courses and a nine-hole course. One of the longer courses was designed by Gary Player and the other by Robert Trent Jones. Lyman Orchards' Player Course is a seemingly mild 6,600 yards from the tips but don't let the yardage fool you, this layout is a tough but fair test. There are over 30 bunkers strategically placed along the small greens and deciduous trees and beautiful white pines line the fairways. Routed through the orchards across gently rolling hills, the golf course is as scenic as it is challenging. The terrain provides the course with plenty of ups and downs, as well as great views, especially on the 11th and 13th holes.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
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Gold | 71 | 6725 yards | 72.7 | 133 |
Blue | 71 | 6325 yards | 71.0 | 130 |
White | 71 | 5890 yards | 68.9 | 129 |
Red (W) | 71 | 4900 yards | 68.3 | 113 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black M: 72.9/134 | 408 | 378 | 395 | 198 | 397 | 357 | 228 | 592 | 388 | 3341 | 386 | 219 | 437 | 217 | 493 | 346 | 196 | 536 | 554 | 3384 | 6725 |
Blue M: 71.2/132 | 400 | 367 | 374 | 173 | 386 | 342 | 191 | 578 | 381 | 3192 | 348 | 211 | 427 | 181 | 473 | 306 | 165 | 520 | 502 | 3133 | 6325 |
White M: 68.8/129 W: 73.3/123 | 368 | 339 | 344 | 153 | 352 | 321 | 180 | 511 | 364 | 2932 | 318 | 195 | 407 | 154 | 449 | 294 | 151 | 508 | 482 | 2958 | 5890 |
Red M: 64.3/118 W: 68.6/117 | 290 | 296 | 204 | 118 | 300 | 303 | 148 | 380 | 345 | 2384 | 250 | 170 | 309 | 140 | 411 | 280 | 110 | 432 | 414 | 2516 | 4900 |
Handicap | 9 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 8 | 6 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 71 |
Handicap (W) | 7 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 2 |
Course Details
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Reviewer Photos
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The third hole is a brutal par-4 that plays over a brushy, deep pit. The view here looks backward down the fairway, toward the abyss. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/24/2023
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At the par-4 sixth, the fairway “runs out” alongside the green, where most pitch shots will be blind down the the putting surface (situated to the left, out of view). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/24/2023
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The seventh, a classic downhill par-3 that drops precipitously to a well-defended green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/24/2023
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A view from tee eight, looking up toward the driving zone on a monstrous par-5. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/24/2023
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Tee-to-green, the eighth concludes with a third shot (typically) over a sizeable waste area. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/24/2023
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The closing eighteenth: as aesthetically pleasing as it is difficult. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/24/2023
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Photo submitted by u314159836253 on 01/22/2023
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The Player’s 2nd is a straightaway par-4. A stream crosses its fairway; the green is well-guarded. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 09/22/2022
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The fourth: a challenging par-3 of about 200 yards. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 09/22/2022
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Six is a scenic par-4 playing to an elevated fairway, its green hidden below in a small dell. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 09/22/2022
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Eight demands this tough tee shot to a perched fairway, requiring a carry of some 200 yards from the blues. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 09/22/2022
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The eighth fairway, as seen from the high right-side rough. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 09/22/2022
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Under late afternoon shadows, a view from the ninth fairway into its green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 09/22/2022
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The opening hole glides uphill all the way to its green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Seven travels 228 yards downhill. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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View from the blue tee at eight: Par-5, 578. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Green eight is set behind a large, marshy depression. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Fourteen is a downhill five-par of 493. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Eighteen qualifies, a long, uphill par-5, qualifies as strong closer. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Five: par-4, 397. Plays downhill to a two-tiered fairway, then farther downhill to a well-defended green. First-rate hole. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/29/2021
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Five: A view of its green, from the left rough. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/29/2021
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Seven: A fine three-par with big contouring--reminiscent of Scotland-- around the green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/29/2021
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Eight: Par-5 of 592. One of the longest par-fives in Connecticut. And one of the toughest. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/29/2021
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Eight: A view over the large thicket that precedes the green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/29/2021
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Eighteen, 40 minutes prior to sunset: A 554-yard par-5, with its green set upon a large plateau. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 10/29/2021
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Tee shot on par 5 #8 Photo submitted by u314159379595 on 08/08/2021
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Photo submitted by John4576224 on 07/26/2020
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Photo submitted by u1732467322 on 07/15/2020
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Photo submitted by nugentmk on 07/05/2018
Horrible conditions
I don’t think the grass has been cut so far this year on the course. The fairways were like rough, and the rough was unplayable. Whoever cut the greens cut them so low that they were hard pan and aerated.
Still under construction…
Played the Player front 9 and though there was construction equipment strewn throughout the course still (as reported in other reviews) it was mostly off in the rough and didn’t cause any issues. Greens were on the tail end of being arrogated and played semi-true. Fairways were cut and very green. Overall a good experience this early in the year.
Just way too many people out there. Sometimes 2 groups on tee at same time.
TERRIBLE CONDITIONS
Course so wet, cartpath only. A lot of under construction. Red tees plopped in fairway on most holes!???! Parking lot so packed cars were on grass, on road and in undesignated spots. They should have told people of the situation. Some even took bags off cart and carried. This is not a cartpath only course.
Greens need to fills
The greens were air rated, so it was very difficult to put!
Under construction
This place shouldn’t even be open yet. Back hoes and bull dozers everywhere. Replacing irrigation system. People everywhere digging.
They should have at least told us before we went out. Or just shut down and get everything done.
Just rained a few hours prior so course we soggy. But all the greens were air rated and impossible to putt. Lots of construction on course on almost every hole. Trenches being dug for wires in ground.
Early Spring Conditions
The Lyman Golf complex has always been a magnet for serious golfers. True to form, the sprawling parking lot had mostly filled up by the early afternoon and was close to overflowing upon departure. The reason for this, no doubt, are these two well known courses located in good territory for golf: a tranquil, countryside setting.
FRONT SIDE
In general, Player is not a course you can flinch on, both when driving the ball and with the irons–which must hit with precision. The layout is teeming with big slopes and deep bunkers, falloffs alongside or near several of the greens, humps that resemble the proverbial buried elephants, scattered water hazards (including ponds and streams), and gaping pits from which your golf ball likely will not be recovered. The front side is the tougher of the two, I would say, and here you’ll face a consistent mix of medium and long holes, forced carries, and a blind shot on the approach to green six. The thickly wooded landscape of the front side, serene and aesthetically pleasing, rolls up and down over some pronounced hillsides, allowing you to take in the best of the surrounding hills. Hole eight, which is among the most rugged par-5’s in Connecticut, actually borders the property of the Lyman Orchards farm and grocery store at the Apple Barrel–a place I’ve frequented many times.
TOUGH HOLES
On the front, which I played today, the Player kicks off with a difficult, uphill par-4. But the third, fifth and eighth are also fierce, and even the relatively tame holes, including the par-3’s and straightforward ninth. The par-four third (dominated by an abyss on the tee shot) requires nothing less than two powerfully struck and accurate shots to find the putting surface.
GREENS
They played surprisingly fast today, given the effects of aeration and sand, and moreover putted well enough. Greens of this speed must not be sloped too steeply (according to modern architects) and accordingly the Player surfaces are not.
CONDITIONING
Today the Player seemed a shadow of its typical self. It was in decent shape as of late October, 2021. Today, however, with long fairways (not recently cut), some scattered shagginess or patchiness in greenside areas and fringes, and a significant construction project (it seems to have expanded from last fall) on holes three and five, the course’s playability fell well below expectations. It didn’t help that several areas in both roughs and fairways were waterlogged from recent rains and that tees hadn’t improved much since October. Give Lyman credit, though, for investing in longer-term course improvement via the construction.
WILDLIFE SIGHTING: BOBCAT
After having walked some distance down fairway six, I spotted a large bobcat some 100 yards farther down the fairway. He or she had darted out of the hole’s left-side wooded area and seemed intent upon crossing the sixth fairway towards the twelfth hole–until, that is, it caught sight of me and beat a hasty retreat back into the dense wood.
BOTTOM LINE
I was not enamored with today’s pace of play, unusual for this course. Despite having gotten here early, I teed off ten minutes late, then waited on nearly every hole. Still, I like touring the Player Course: it’s a good test of ball-striking skills while staying within the bounds of fairness. Yes, there are some difficult holes, and all the more so when played sloppily–as we should expect on a course that slopes from the blues at 132. But that’s golf.
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The opening hole glides uphill all the way to its green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Seven travels 228 yards downhill. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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View from the blue tee at eight: Par-5, 578. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Green eight is set behind a large, marshy depression. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Fourteen is a downhill five-par of 493. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
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Eighteen qualifies, a long, uphill par-5, qualifies as strong closer. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 04/13/2022
Despite friendly staff, course is not ready for play yet
Horrible greens, beat up/soggy fairways and random construction on certain holes making play very awkward. Staff is pretty accommodating, left putter at home they let me borrow one at no charge. On-site pub/grill screwed up my lunch order then took twice as long as when I first placed it to get my corrected order back. There was no starter (as noted when we checked in by staff) but this led to a 4 some that was 40 minutes late to rush to the t-box effectively cutting several groups waiting to tee off at their scheduled times which led to a very slow pace of play and an overall miserable experience. Spring golf is wildly unpredictable and no one is expecting perfect conditions but the course still seems to be about a month away from being playable.
First Round of 2022
Packed course being March and 70 degrees out as expected. Tee times backed up, again expected. No expectations as it is early in the season, Lyman always a fun course to play. See our round on utube… KTB Hackers Golf..
Followed a group videoing themselves...
This is the first time I have ever witnessed watching a foursome video tape every shot they made using a GoPro on the tee box and a 5 foot tripod on every fairway and green. We waited to hit on every hole and kept asking them to pick up their pace. There was no ranger in sight the entire round! Pathetic display of narcissism and not caring about anybody else. Two holes were open in front of them. Ridiculous!
Challenging but fun
Played the players course from the blue tees. Was quite a challenge on some of the holes but still fun. Cart was really nice with good GPS and speakers. Restaurant was also nice and updated.