(HARTFORD, CT) – The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Course at Lyman Orchards Golf Club – managed by Billy Casper Golf (BCG) – has been selected by the Connecticut Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America to host the 79th Connecticut PGA Championship, August 23-25, 2010.
The announcement was made today during the section’s spring meeting at the Marriott Hartford Downtown. Lyman Orchards Golf Club is the first privately-owned, public course and second public course ever to host the esteemed championship.
The 54-hole stroke-play tournament – with the largest purse of any tournament for PGA Professionals in the section – will be contested by approximately 100 golfers with a cut held before the final round.
“We’re proud the Connecticut Section PGA chose Lyman Orchards,” says Steve Ciskowski, President and CEO of Lyman Farms, Inc. “The investment of time and capital by the Lyman family to enhance the Jones course re-establishes it as a championship-caliber layout worthy of high profile events.”
“Staging our Section Championship at Lyman Orchards is in sync with increased awareness of public access golf nowadays,” says Ralph Salito, President of the Connecticut Section PGA and Head Golf Professional at Richter Park Golf Course. “During the three tournament rounds, many of the best golfers from Connecticut and Western Massachusetts will be ‘wowed’ and challenged by the re-vamped Jones course.”
In July 2009, Lyman Orchards re-opened its storied Robert Trent Jones, Sr. course after partially closing for six months to undergo more than $2 million in enhancements. The program – crafted by the Lyman family, BCG and Mark Mungeam of Mungeam Cornish Golf Design – replaced the irrigation system, renovated all existing bunkers, added new bunkers, improved drainage and created even more aesthetically pleasing sight-lines for golfers.
Last year’s Connecticut PGA Champion, Fran Marrello, Head Golf Professional at Canaan Country Club and 2009 inductee into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame, is excited to defend his title at Lyman Orchards. Marrello, who also won the championship in 2001, will play in the championship for the 21st time.
“I first played Lyman Orchards as a youngster and the facility left an indelible impression,” says Marrello. “The challenging layout of the Jones Course will test the skills of everyone in the field.”
The par-72, 7,011-yard Robert Trent Jones, Sr. course opened in 1969 and 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. On holes No. 11 and 13 especially, golfers are treated to 360-degree views of southern Connecticut’s picturesque landscape.
Presenting sponsors for the championship include: Cleveland Golf, E-Z-GO, Mohegan Sun and Srixon. Supporting sponsors are BCG and Pepsi-Cola.
About the Connecticut Section PGA
The Connecticut Section PGA is one of 41 sections chartered that together comprise the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. All of the state of Connecticut – with the exception of territory south and west of a line between the cities of Danbury and Bridgeport, and the western half of the state of Massachusetts, except for a small northwestern corner of the state – are the boundaries for the section. There are a total of 382 golf professionals affiliated with the section (313 PGA Members and 69 Registered Apprentices). These professionals are employed at over 175 PGA Recognized Golf Facilities throughout the region, with the exception of Life Members who are retired or not actively employed.
For more information about the Connecticut Section PGA: www.ctpga.com, 860.257.4653.
About Lyman Orchards
Set on 1,100 acres in the heart of the state, Lyman Orchards (est. 1741) is a year-round destination for the whole family in Middlefield, Connecticut. Shop at the Apple Barrel market, filled with fresh farm produce and Lyman Orchard’s award-winning “Hi Top” Apple Pie; celebrate special events and weddings at the Lyman Homestead; enjoy seasonal Pick-Your-Own fruits and tours of the orchard; golf on two championship, 18-hole courses designed by Gary Player and Robert Trent Jones, and improve your skills at the Lyman Orchard’s Golf Academy.
For more information about Lyman Orchards or to book a tee time: www.lymangolf.com, 860.349.6031. Lyman Orchards is located at 32 Reeds Gap Road, Middlefield, CT 06455, between New Haven and Hartford.
About Billy Casper Golf
Widely respected as a high-performance, full-service owner/operator of golf courses, BCG manages more than 110 properties in 26 states and outside the U.S. The company provides turnkey club operations for public-agency and private owners, developers and investors. Founded more than 20 years ago in cooperation with golf legend Billy Casper, BCG is based in Vienna, VA with regional offices strategically convenient to courses’ locales.
Critically-acclaimed by industry leaders and media, BCG economies of scale help daily-fee, municipal, resort and private courses ensure financial success while delivering a personal touch.
Buffalo Communications – a division of BCG – is America’s foremost golf-specialty publicity, media-relations and marketing-communications agency. In addition to creating PR and implementing programs for BCG courses, Buffalo represents many of golf’s top brands (products, resorts, destinations and communities) worldwide.
For information about Billy Casper Golf / Buffalo Communications: www.billycaspergolf.com, www.buffalocommunications.com, 703.761.1444.
Contact:
Nick Lashinsky
Billy Casper Golf / Buffalo Communications
703.891.3324
nlashinsky@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
www.billycaspergolf.com
Tom Hantke
Connecticut Section PGA
860.257.4653
thantke@pgahq.com
www.ctpga.com
