Bangor Municipal Golf Course head golf pro Rob Jarvis is shooting for a March 21 opening.
They are in the process of preparing the course for the opening, which will be a month earlier than a year ago because of the unusually mild winter.
“And it’s about three weeks earlier than we normally open,” pointed out Jarvis. “We usually open between April 15-20.”
Several courses already are open, including Orono’s Penobscot Valley Country Club and the Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro, as well as several in southern Maine.
“It’s very close [to being ready]. It really is. We’re just trying to be patient,” Jarvis said. “We want to make sure we do the best thing for the golf course. We don’t want to jeopardize anything. Giving it a little extra time goes a long way.”
He explained he doesn’t want golfers in June to be penalized because he opened the course early and took a toll on the condition of it.
Jarvis said he is hoping to get some temperatures in excess of 35 degrees at night to “get the soil temperature up and get the grass growing.”
“It’s already showing signs of it,” Jarvis said.
He and course superintendent John Kelley are pleased with the condition of the course.
Jarvis is in his first season as the head golf pro after replacing Brian Enman, who retired after serving 21 years in that position.
He worked for Enman for all 21 years and became the assistant pro in 2000.
Jarvis said Brian Johnson will be his assistant pro.
“He has worked with us for six or seven years,” he said. “He started doing some teaching last year. He will be the lead assistant for sure and maybe we’ll get someone else, too.”
Bangor native Johnson played golf for Jarvis at Bangor High School and then went on to play at Bangor’s Husson University.
“Brian is still going through the PGA’s apprentice program to become a PGA member. He has passed the playing ability test, and there’s also an educational component to it,” Jarvis said. “He’s still learning a lot. I was in his shoes once.”