The Boothbay Harbor Country Club will be opening a little later than anticipated.

Chad Penman, head golf pro at the Boothbay club, said that because of obstacles due to inclement weather, the timeline for opening has been moved back. “We couldn't gain access to the course to get things like irrigation and draining done,” he said.

The driving range, which usually opens on May 1, will open on May 17 this year. The back nine will open on June 20, and the front nine won't be open for golf until August 21.

The course won’t be open to the public this summer until August 21, again because of the limited number of holes. “We want to ensure the members will have access to tee times, and that there is a quality pace of play for them,” Penman said. But non-members can come play as a guest of a member twice a month, he said.

In a letter sent to club members, owner Paul Coulombe asked members for their patience. “The end result will be a product that will be second to none in Maine and a benefit to the area for decades to come.”

Penman talked about some of the improvements. “I think that the biggest golf course changes are new greens on number 1, number 3, number 5 and number 9.”

“And we will have improved irrigation and drainage to make the conditions consistently good throughout the season,” he said. “We're not waiting for that good spike of weather that lasts a couple weeks and gives us optimal playing conditions.”

Members will be compensated for their patience. “We have made arrangements for our 2014 paid members to play at five golf courses this season,” Penman said. “We want them to have some place to play an 18-hole golf course until we open all of our holes.”

The alternative courses are at the Samoset in Rockland, Belgrade Lakes in Brunswick, and Nonesuch River and Dunegrass, both in the Old Orchard Beach area. Members will be able to use the other courses through August 21.

Penman said all that members will have to pay is a cart fee. “We wanted to make it as simple as possible.”

Memberships for Maine individuals are $1,650. Local family memberships, including children under 25 who are living with their parents, are $2,750. For non-Maine residents, an individual membership is $2,100; and for a non-resident family, it is $3,200.

There will be a bonus for 2014 members. “We’re going to honor 2014 members for their loyalty. We’ll let them have their 2015 memberships for the same price, so there won't be an increase for them. There will be a 20 percent jump for everybody else in 2015.”

The restaurant at the clubhouse, managed by Allyson Melchreit, will open on May 22. Stephanie Henderson will be the dining room manager again this year.

Melchreit said they will be revamping the wine list, and there will be beverage carts with beer and snacks on the course. There will be a grill on the deck and the club will be featuring more specialty nights this summer.

Opening date for the new clubhouse is May 1, 2016.