A very nice nine-hole course of par 3's and 4's…read more Miner Hills has a great location between New Haven and Hartford that's pretty easy to find. One of my associations had a twilight golf event here and Miner Hills was terrific to deal with, they easily worked with us on the catering and food service. Super reasonable cost for golf and carts, and we dealt with some very nice people at the pro shop organizing the evening. Yay, I'm a fan!!

A short 9-hole course that's not as easy as you might expect…read more Miner Hills is a family run course (and driving range) that has a very friendly staff. The atmosphere is laid back, as this is very much a course that's welcoming to the general public. It's a Par 30 with six par 3's and three par 4's. Every hole is under 300 yards. However, the par 4 7th is straight uphill and the par 3 before it plays close to 200 yards uphill from the white tees. The course is kept in fairly good condition and there was a crew leaf-blowing when I played there. It's hard to play with a yellow ball and hit into all those leaves! While there are not too many hazards here, most of the fairways and approaches are relatively narrow. There are some small greens too and the slopes can be tough to judge. The prices are fair, but when I saw a deal of $9 for 18 holes and a cart (seriously?!) on GolfNow, I could not pass it up. I believe the rate is usually $21 or so. The cart also had a lot of pep. Probably the fastest cart I've used on any course! I will be coming back here in the future!

Not a food review. The golf is great here. Well run course with some challenging holes. Not the…read morehardest course but many blind shots and great views of this beautiful part of Connecticut.

A very cute clubhouse, with a small but nice bar and pretty good food. The price for 9 is about the…read moresame as lymans, which to me lymans is a step above. The course is usually in pretty good shape. There is only turf mats and your not supposed to hit a driver off the driving range because it's very short. The biggest issue is the hills on the course. It makes it very hard to know when the person on front of you is done. Be on alert lol. Overall, it's worth a look.

Unprofessional, irrational, not maintained, overpriced are what come to mind when I think of…read moreLyman's golf course. Tuesday of this week booked the back 9 of the players for 7:10am. Tee time was confirmed and Saturday comes around drove all the way to the course to which I check in at the pro shop. Good to go right? Nope. Pull up to the 10th hole tee box and tee off walking back to the cart the ranger pulls up and starts yelling at us like we are in the wrong. I get it Mr ranger you have the most difficult and highest standard job in the world your more important than even a police officer apparently the way you have to confront someone as if they are breaking a law? Don't know if it's ego or if your just a jerk in general but no need to start yelling at a group that did there due diligence booked a tee time, signed in, told we were good to go, and watched us head up to the back 9. The ranger starts yelling at us that we need to get off the back 9 we are booked for the Jones course for 6:57 all of which was incorrect. We try having a rational conversation to which you need to assert dominance and act like your some kind of a tough guy and want to swing your weight around but you tell us to get off the back 9 we are wrong and we're supposed to be teeing off on a completely different course at a completely different tee time. So we say alright no problem we're going to grab our tee shots and we'll be down. To which you yell at us "I better see you two down on tee box one!" Rude and a bit of a overreaction but whatever. We decide we want to just get a refund to which you start hobbling across the sidewalk from your little hut yelling that we need to get on tee box one. I tell you we're getting a refund. A rational and respectful employee then apologizes to which we appreciated I mentioned the ranger didn't have to be aggressive to which the ranger snaps back at me that he wasn't aggressive and starts talking s**** to other golfers near the ranger hut? Super unprofessional, rude and not worth the time or effort for some guy that's living in his own world maybe take the ego down a couple notches if you wanted to be a cop you should have done that instead of acting like one on a golf course. . If you want to play golf go play at Indian Springs, Portland golf course or even miner hills is better than Lyman's. Lyman's doesn't take care of there rough it's near impossible to find a ball more than 2 feet from you. It's over priced. Unorganized and after today's bad experience which wasn't the first with there staff all I can say is I highly recommend any other course until they actually think about the people paying all this money to play instead of lining there pockets and sitting back. Have some respect for the people giving you a job Mr ranger. I know you think you're the most important person out there but you're not you're just some old dude driving a golf cart with a red flag on it. Lyman's you should really rethink how you run your course because it's the talk among golfers that it's overpriced and overvalued for what people are getting could be a lot better and maybe some staff training on how to talk to people like a reasonably respectable person when your staff is the reason today went so wrong.

This course is not worth what they charge. The rough hadn't been cut in 2 weeks +. Crabgrass…read moreeverywhere including some of the approaches. Very disappointed that they have let this place go.

"Imitator, intimidator, stimulator Simulator, eliminator"…read more(Eminem) If ten state of the art golf simulators are your stimulators, you'll love a visit to Back 9 Social. And your visit will not be handicapped by a lack of gastropub like food and drink. Their golf simulators are very impressive and combine radar and camera technology to faithfully recreate some of the best courses in the world, including St Andrews, Pebble Beach, and 120+ others. A professional organization I belong to held a gathering there last night and had a great time. We ordered and paid for our drinks through their big bar through a QR code, but you can still pay the old-fashioned way with cash if you prefer. We had plenty of their pizzas which were quite yummy. Our golfers had a blast and I should point out that although some of the other customers I saw actually brought their own set of clubs, Back 9 can hook you up with their clubs for men, women, lefties, righties, and kids. And of course, plenty of tees and balls to whack into their high-definition screens. The facility is gorgeous, the golf simulators were amazing, the staff was helpful and friendly, and it was a very enjoyable experience.

This place is a lot of fun, and we genuinely enjoy coming here, but our experience with management…read moreon multiple occasions has really put a damper on the whole establishment. We completely understand that the facility has every right to monitor alcohol consumption and prevent inappropriate behavior. Nobody wants people getting sloppy or disruptive, and we respect that. However, there's a much more professional and respectful way to handle it than what is done. We are unsure of her name, but the female manager present made us uncomfortable as she was constantly staring at our group throughout the evening instead of simply communicating expectations directly. The alcohol restrictions are also entirely ridiculous- I specifically was told by the bartender that I was being watched for alcohol consumption after having 2 Coronas in a time span of 1 hour and 45 minutes. The restriction on alcohol itself is not the main issue -- it's the way it is handled. We have felt watched and punished despite the fact that nobody in our group was loud, inappropriate, or intoxicated on multiple occasions. I also want to note that the bartenders have been spectacular and are always very nice. This is specially about the manager and the way she acts towards paying customers. When you're spending over $200 on the simulator alone, a little courtesy and respectful communication would go a long way. We really do like this place, but experiences like this make us hesitant to come back.

I'm not a golfer, but I did spend a very enjoyable day at the beautiful Southington Country Club to…read moresupport a fundraising tournament for the Combat Vets Association. I rode around the course taking photos of the foursomes, and took in the very pretty scenery all over the course. The dining patio is ringed by gorgeous flowers everywhere you look, and it really made for some very pretty sights. The bartenders and staff we interacted with were all very friendly, polite, and professional. The dinner provided by the Club's caterer was a BBQ feast of ribs, chicken, and as many fixings as you could name. Well done, Southington Country Club, I had a great time.

Fun layout, has a lot of potential. That being said some of the worst greens I've ever played…read more.. they were furry and the ball wobbled back and forth, didn't roll true at all. They clearly haven't been rolled at all this year. Also, the rough was absurd. Couldn't find balls that were clearly in play. Not sure how you justify charging $72 for a course that hasn't been cared for. Much better courses around for the same price.

My brother had his wedding here, so I got the whole experience as part of the wedding party. They…read moredid a stellar job top to bottom. Everyone, from the GM to the bartender to the bride wrangler and operations teams was professional, friendly, and good-natured. They brought a lot of intensity and professionalism, keeping everyone on schedule, but still managing to make us feel like spoiled guests along the way. Was especially impressed by Bridget and Emily and how hard they worked to make my brother's wedding go perfectly. The space itself is really nice -- the greenery of the golf course was a gorgeous backdrop for the wedding, and the interior space was tasteful & well-appointed, with great lighting and nice decor. Overall, everyone had a fantastic time, and I didn't hear a single complaint from the wedding party. The food was great, too -- nothing bland or too exotic, just fresh, creatively-prepared classics. My steak did come out a little more cooked than I'd like, but it was still totally delicious -- I would just recommend emphasizing that a bit if that's something you really care about. Pros * staff were all really wonderful & graceful, funny additions to the banter around the table * space is gorgeous and very photogenic * fantastic mix of keeping the event on time & still making us feel like we were being pampered * honest, no-bullshit feedback about what they could accommodate and what wasn't possible * uniformly great feedback from every guest I talked to Cons * if you're picky about your steak temp you gotta flag it -- but honestly this happens at every large event This place was overall fantastic and I'd recommend it to anyone for a special event.

Just don't work there. I was an employee for over 30 years and left after my superiors started…read moretreating me like garbage. I left on my own after almost being pushed to leave. I was very good friends with a lot of the members and busted my ass the entire time I was there. In all the time I was there, I never had one complaint against me and an unknown number of compliments. When I left, I left peacefully with no incident. I returned recently to visit some members that I was friends with and haven't seen in a few years since I left. I was told by the Head Professional that he was told to ask me to leave the premises or he would call the police for no apparent reason. I asked why and by who, but wouldn't be given a reason. I left and went to one of the holes on the street to say hi to the members as they passed the hole. The pro was out there and called the police even though I wasn't on property. The police told me I wasn't welcome on the property and if I returned I could be arrested. Again for no apparent reason. I then called the GM and asked why I wasn't allowed on property and was told he didn't need to give me a reason. I said that I worked there for so many years, and thought I deserved to know why. He again said he didn't need to give me a reason. DON"T WORK THERE UNLESS YOU WANTED TO BE TREATED LIKE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm still pretty new to mini-golf, but I figured I could get a little bit of mini-golf practice in…read more After all, I volunteered to staff it at my job, so it would only be right that I get some mini-golf play in before I staff it for 6 and a half hours. Thankfully, this golfing course ain't too far from where I live, so this ain't too bad of a drive to get there. You just have to make a U-turn at the end to get there if you are coming from the northbound lanes like I was. Upon arrival, you kind of see the Safari-theme pretty easily here. You have models of giraffes, gorillas, and elephants amongst other African icons on the golf course. The name of the holes also correlate with African themes such as The Tusk, Zebra Crossing, and Kilimanjaro. Pars for every hole are either 2 or 3 shots, and you don't get to your first Par 3 until The Loop (Hole 10). I played two rounds today and I find this mini-golf course to be pretty beginner friendly. None of the holes were so hard that I needed to get to the 6-shot maximum for any hole, and on both rounds I even got a hole-in-one in a hole (Hole 13 for the first round and Hole 15 for the second). In both rounds I even got 2 birdies on 2 other Par 3's. My scores were still over par on both rounds after all 18 holes, but there was a noticeable improvement on my second round as I shaved 4 off my score. If you like mini-golf and want something stress-free, this is definitely your golf course. As for the customer service, the receptionist was pretty helpful. You can even nab some ice cream after the game if you're coming on a hot day like I did. I got a Chillwich that was $7 and locally manufactured. Honestly, for $7, this hit the spot. I got the Thiq Mint, and it is a HUGE cookie sandwich of goodness. For the pricing of the games themselves, you have to pay $10 for one round, and then for the second round, you can get a dollar off. There is a caveat though that might force you to bring your A-game: If you get a Hole-in-1 on Hole 18, you get your second game free which saves you $9. I will say though, if you are attempting for that, it is NOT easy to get a Hole-in-1 on that last hole. Actually, the way it is designed, it is very difficult to pull off. I was able to get a Birdie on the hole, but not the Hole-in-1. All-in-all, a very fun mini-golf course, and it is a great place for beginners to grab their putts and play a good game. I would love to come back here soon to get better at the game.

Well maintained course, mix of different difficulty levels but nothing that was super creative or…read morehard. Cashier should be directing customers which way is the start of the course, we walked to hole 18 and then quickly realized we went the wrong way before starting. Another group did the same thing and walked up when we were at the end of our game, and actually was playing on the bottom part of our hole when we were trying to finish our game... the woman actually picked up my ball and handed it to me completely oblivious she had gone the wrong way. There is also no bathrooms from what i could see, and as a pregnant woman that's a huge con for me! All in all a good place to have a fun time, aside from those two flaws.

This is my second time in here for an event and it's always so nice to see even when it's filled…read morewith stuff you could see how beautiful it is. I can imagine it's a great spot for a wedding or party! The chandeliers and atmosphere is just so pretty

Beautiful space, came here several times for different occasions. The appetizers for this event…read morewere very good, better than dinner itself! I've been to bigger events and the staff and service was better coordinated. It was very disappointing to have the servers slamming the plates and silverware , pushing the carts while the poets on stage were trying to recite!

I have gained the benefit of Maureen "mo's" knowledge and skills for years. Even before she opened…read moreback on Course. As a Therapist she is amazing and understand the body structure and knows how to make adjustments to help you heal and relieve pain. As a golf instructor she understand the movements of the body and can help you correct your golf swing through proper movement but also teach you how to make a proper golf swing to accommodate physical issue you may be dealing with.

Enjoyed a free historical tour of the Lyman Homestead, led by historian Diana Ross McCain…read more The Lyman homestead (1741) is the 15th oldest running farm in America and has been in the family for 8 generations. In 1864, The Lyman Homestead house (the original) moved from the homestead location to across what is now the apple barrel David Lyman 2nd being a prominent Lyman heir to the property, was many things, including an abolitionist who was part of the Freedom trail, aiding run away slaves. Part of the Underground Railroad, the Lyman family would house those seeking refuge. David Lyman the 2nd is also responsible for the completion of the Airline trail (due to their farm productions/supply/demand), an innovative and state of the line washing machine (for that time) and the production of the train tracks that cross the Connecticut River in Middletown. In 1917, a massive frost killed all the peach trees, but they converted to apple trees, which is what took off the Lyman's famous apple picking today! They also had cattle, but unfortunately the barn burned down and was replaced with the golf courses that are here today

While I have yet to tour the Homestead, I have attended 2 events in the general area, adjacent to…read morethe Golf course. The first was in the summer for a sound/ gong bath outdoors. Peaceful, quiet surroundings to fully immerse into complete relaxation. I believe this was Lyman's first event of this kind. To celebrate the Lunar New Year 2023, Lyman's had a wonderful display of lanterns of all kinds to view on a half mile stroll on its grounds. Fabulous. I believe they have this every year. Remarkable artistry and really unique and beautiful. Check out their website for a variety of events (outside of pick your own).