The Meadow at Peabody Golf Course is heading into its 11th season and the course will experience its earliest opening to date when it welcomes golfers beginning today.
All 18 holes are open, ready for play and in "great shape" according to Manager and Golf Professional Peter Cronan.
The Meadow will be offering its spring rates — $20 for nine holes or $40 for 18, including a cart. Cronan already has three tee-times set for Saturday and he hopes the weather allows them to remain open.
"The earliest we've ever opened was March 10 and that was two years ago. After we opened we were closed every other day due to rain," Cronan said. "It's insane. A lot of other courses have been open all winter. It used to be that if someone asked what date we'd be opening we'd say April 1. I don't know if there's anything to this global warming, but we're opening more than a month earlier."
The condition of the course, plus a favorable weather forecast allowed Course Superintendent Dick Duggan to give Cronan the OK to open.
"The greens are in great shape. They were covered with sand this winter and that's been blown off and worked into it," Cronan said. "We have two cups in each green and we'll be switching them back and forth for a little while."
Cronan also reported that the small fence and post rails that in previous years had prevented golfers from taking carts onto certain fairways have been removed from all holes except the fifth.
