GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
4.0
427 Reviews (427)
5 Stars
152
4 Stars
167
3 Stars
66
2 Stars
26
1 Stars
16
Conditions
3.9
Value
4.0
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
3.9
Amenities
4.1
85.5%
Recommend this course
353 out of 427 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.0
1 Reviews (1)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.0
Value
4.0
Layout
4.0
Pace
4.0
Amenities
5.0
StaffFriendliness
4.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
1 out of 1 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
4 Reviews (4)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.5
Layout
3.8
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
3.8
75.0%
Recommend this course
3 out of 4 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 71
Length 6725 yards
Slope 133
Rating 72.7

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.

Book a Tee Time at
Lyman Orchards Golf Club - Player Course
Powered by GolfNow.com

Course Details

Year Built 1994
Architect Gary Player (1994)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes
Pull-carts Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes - "Lyman Orchards Golf Academy"
Golf Simulator Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Indoor Practice Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Accepted
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Appropriate golf attire.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Snacks, Grill

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities

Reviews

4.0
427 Reviews (427)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 10
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 18
Forced Carries 16
Thick Rough 12
This course/club is great for:
Playing Multiple Courses 12
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 12
A Weekend Splurge 8
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 16
In the 'Burbs 8

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Default User Avatar
Anonymous
Played On
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

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.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 46
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

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.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 57
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Just way too many people out there. Sometimes 2 groups on tee at same time.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

course is under repair skip for at least six months

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 21
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

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.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Greens need to fills

The greens were air rated, so it was very difficult to put!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

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.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Wet weather
Used cart

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.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 313
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Top 25 Contributor
Connecticut Advisor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

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.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 178
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 100 Contributor
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

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.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

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..

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

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!

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Poor
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

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.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Nearby Courses
Middlefield, Connecticut
Public
3.6906294118
89
Middlefield, Connecticut
Public
4.1894647059
255
Middlefield, Connecticut
Public
4.5445411765
314
Meriden, Connecticut
Public
4.0588235294
13
Middletown, Connecticut
Public
2.6846529412
77
Wallingford, Connecticut
Private
0.0
0
Wallingford, Connecticut
Semi-Private
4.2045
370
Portland, Connecticut
Public
4.2097058824
81
Wallingford, Connecticut
Private
4.0
1
Portland, Connecticut
Public
4.0248705882
249
Portland, Connecticut
Public
4.1809058824
429
Berlin, Connecticut
Public/Municipal
4.1185352941
454
Golf Packages

Shadowbrook Stay & Play Package

FROM $87 (USD)
TUNKHANNOCK, PA | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at Shadowbrook Resort and 2 rounds of golf at Shadowbrook Golf Course.

Seaview Stay & Play Golf Package

FROM $197 (USD)
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Seaview, A Dolce Hotel and 2 rounds of golf at Seaview Golf Club - Bay & Pines Courses.

Bear Trap Dunes Stay & Play Package

FROM $147 (USD)
BETHANY BEACH, DE | Enjoy 2 nights’ accommodations in a private residence within the Bear Trap Dunes community managed by 1st Choice Properties and 2 rounds of golf at Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club.

Lansdowne Resort Stay & Play Golf Package

FROM $247 (USD)
LEESBURG, VA | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Lansdowne Resort and 2 rounds of golf at The Golf Club at Lansdowne - Greg Norman & Robert Trent Jones Jr. courses.
Now Reading