The calendar says it’s spring, though the snow on your lawn says otherwise.

Which leaves golfers anxious to get outside asking two questions: How soon will courses open? And, what kind of shape will they be in?

Golf bag carts are still partially buried at Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough, but the course appears to have made it through the winter without damage to its greens. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

The ponds are still frozen and the course is covered with snow as spring approaches at the Nonesuch River Golf Club, usually one of the first Maine courses to open for the season. Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer

Golf course superintendents are confident courses have come through the winter in good condition, despite a snow pack in Maine that still measures more than 24 inches in some areas.

A year ago, fluctuation in temperatures created havoc for many courses. Thawing and refreezing caused thick ice to form, damaging greens. For some courses, the greens did not to recover until summer.

But February’s record-setting cold may have aided Maine’s courses this year. The heavy snow of late January served as a blanket, protecting the grass. The snow is still deep, but ice damage appears to be minimal.

“I think that’s the general vibe,” said Toby Young, the head golf course superintendent at Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland. “We’re a lot more calm. Barring a major catastrophe in the next couple of weeks, I feel we’re in pretty good shape.”

“Last year, we had a lot of ice. This year we don’t,” said Mike Ridley, superintendent at Nonesuch River Golf Course in Scarborough. “It’s completely different.”

Young agreed: “The last time I checked, we didn’t have ice on our greens.”

Golf courses, at least in southern Maine, may open close to their traditional target of mid-April.

“We need several warm days to get rid of the snow,” said Ridley.

Nonesuch owner Dan Hourihan said his course opened April 9 last year. He took a photo of the ninth hole last week and compared it to one taken at the same time in 2014.

“There’s less snow on it this year at this time than last year,” he said.

In Aroostook County, the target date for course openings is generally May 1. Mountain courses such as Sunday River in Newry and Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley are two of the last to open.

Superintendents and club managers are optimistic about their courses surviving the winter in good shape.

“Last year at this time, we had a bulldozer removing a foot of ice,” said Kyle Evans, a managing partner at Belgrade Lakes Golf Course. “I knew we were in trouble. Right now, I’m optimistic. There are no ice layers. What ice is there shouldn’t be a problem in late March.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a slow gradual melt. The golf industry needs a good year.”

Because of its location and terrain, Sunday River has more challenges in getting ready to open than the majority of courses in the state.

“The biggest thing is the winter is just so long,” said David D’Andrea, Sunday River’s superintendent. “It starts in mid-November. We’ve had close to 140 inches of snow as of last weekend. A lot of it has blown away. We have anywhere from 10 inches to three feet of snow still on the course.”

D’Andrea has dug through the snow to the surface of the green.

“It’s mostly grainy snow and turf,” he said. “There’s very little ice. I’m feeling pretty good where we’re at. It’s a lot better than I felt at this point last year. I think we’ll be open in two months.”

Mainers start to get golfing fever in mid-March and it continues to climb as Masters week (April 9-12) approaches.

“The day basketball season is over, I see where my golf clubs are,” said Ralph Michaud of Presque Isle, a member of Aroostook Valley Country Club in Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle Country Club.

Michaud is the Presque Isle High girls’ varsity soccer coach and assistant girls’ varsity basketball coach.

“I’ve been going strong since mid-August. I’m ready for my own sport,” he said.

Golfers in Aroostook County are accustomed to starting the season later than the rest of the state.

“We could open the first week of May or maybe around the 10th,” said Michaud, who got his season started this weekend with a trip to Florida.

Barry Madore, the head pro/club manager at Presque Isle Country Club, said people are ready to put their snowmobiles away and start playing golf. The area has had more than 100 inches of snow, including a 16-inch snowfall just over a week ago.

“Whether we get 100 inches of snow or 200 inches, it seems to be gone by the middle of April every year,” said Madore. “May 1 is usually our opening day. I’m hopefully optimistic we’ll be in better shape than we were last year.”

The Maine State Golf Association has its first weekly amateur tournament scheduled for April 17 at Biddeford-Saco Country Club.

“I’m very optimistic that we’ll be ready,” said Randy Hodsdon, director of rules and competition for the MSGA. “I think once the snow starts to go, it’s going to go fast.”

Jeff Hevey, owner of Dutch Elm Country Club in Arundel, saw an encouraging sign last week. The first and seventh greens were clear.

“They looked great,” he said. “Hopefully, the other 16 are just like that.”

Madore summed up the feelings of golfers in the state: “Mother Nature owes us after the last two years.”

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