Lyman Orchards to Host Grand Opening Event for Golf Center, Apple Nine Course

(MIDDLEFIELD, CT) - Lyman Orchards - home to two celebrated 18-hole golf courses - will host a Grand Opening event for the new The Golf Center and Apple Nine Course June 16 in conjunction with the Lyman Orchards' annual Strawberry Festival.

Open to the public, festivities for The Golf Center at Lyman Orchards kick-off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. followed by dazzling trick-shot artist Peter Johncke from 11 a.m. to noon and free golf clinics from noon to 3 p.m. Live music, food and beverages run through 4:30 p.m. Prize winners will be drawn throughout the day and complimentary shuttles will be provided between The Golf Center and Strawberry Festival.

The Apple Barrel market at Lyman Orchards will host the Strawberry Festival beginning at 8 a.m. with breakfast on the deck. Horse-drawn wagon rides with Foxglove Farm, pony rides, pie-eating contests, face-painting, food sampling, strawberry treats and live music are among the family-fun activities scheduled.

Imagined by the Lyman family, managed by Billy Casper Golf and designed by Mark Mungeam of Mungeam Cornish Golf Design, The Golf Center at Lyman Orchards features Apple Nine, a nine-hole, 1,600-yard, par-29 course and the only new layout to open in Connecticut to date in 2012. Holes are 85 to 314 yards with bentgrass greens built to USGA specifications.

Built for practice and PGA instruction, The Golf Center at Lyman Orchards showcases a 40-stall driving range (grass and artificial turf) with target greens and sand traps, short-game practice area and 2,000-square-foot clubhouse.

"We're ecstatic to open The Golf Center," says Steve Ciskowski, President and CEO of Lyman Orchards. "It goes hand-in-hand with our two courses and reinforces the Lyman family's commitment to promote the game of golf and attract new players."

Kevin Cloud has been named Director of Instruction for The Golf Center at Lyman Orchards and will incorporate state-of-the-art technology in private, semi-private and group lessons:

• Foresight GC2 Launch Monitor measures ball velocity, vertical launch angle, back spin, side spin, total spin and carry distance

• V1 Golf Video Swing Analysis Software captures and analyzes students' swings and develop plans for improvement

• Tomi Putting Analysis measures path, face angle and stroke tempo

Lyman Orchards Golf Club is also dedicated to eco-friendliness. The Jones and Player Courses have been designated a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by Audubon International for high standards protecting the environment and preserving the natural heritage of golf. Following Audubon-approved steps protects the wildlife habitat while reducing the use of energy, water, pesticides and fertilizer.

The par-72, 7,011-yard Robert Trent Jones, Sr. course opened in 1969 - and underwent a major renovation in 2009 - features rolling hills on the front nine and varying doglegs on the back. Meandering through acres of woodlands, wetlands and grasslands, "The Jones Course" offers four sets of tees on each hole and its more than 50 bunkers provide unique challenges to golfers of all abilities. On the back nine, water comes into play on seven holes, and undulating greens rankle nerves of novices and scratch players alike.

In 1994, PGA Hall of Fame golfer and course designer Gary Player opened Lyman Orchards' second course, a par-71, 6,725-yard gem. "The Player Course" is sprinkled with deciduous trees and classic white pines. The routing takes players through apple orchards and features ample elevation changes throughout. On holes No. 11 and 13 especially, golfers are treated to 360-degree views of southern Connecticut's picturesque landscape.

For more information about Lyman Orchards or to book a tee time: www.lymangolf.com, 860.349.6031.

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