Like the collective cheer for a hole-in-one, Boothbay golfers praised the announcement February 18 that Southport philanthropist Paul Coulombe has bought the Boothbay Country Club and pegged Harris Golf to manage the course.

“It’s just fantastic news,” longtime golfer Link Brown of East Boothbay said. “Harris Golf is wonderful. They know how to run golf courses. And Paul Coulombe is a Maine boy, so hopefully he’ll remember the blue-collar guy who likes to play.”

The new club will be affordable, according to a spokeswoman for the new owner.

“Paul has indicated it will be affordable. The prices are not set yet as we are still working on the particulars,” said Danielle Bettes of the Knickerbocker Group, a local design/build company that has close ties to Coulombe.

The announcement is good news for many Boothbay golfers, who complained that former owners, who charged outsiders up to $95 per round,  was too expensive for local residents.

Tom Hanley of Grand Rapids, Mich., who plays golf at Boothbay when he visits every summer, welcomed news of the sale and Coulombe’s plans to improve the course and facilities. “One of the great venues that are part of the quality of life for the Boothbay region has been saved,” Hanley said.

The Boothbay course is short (6,356 yards long), but its scenic layout is tight and hilly, requiring golfers to use every shot in their bag if they want to navigate the course, and shoot a good score.

Relief that the property won’t go to some other use has replaced uncertainty created when The Bank of Maine announced plans to foreclose on its loan to Boothbay Country Club LLC.

“In this economy, we’re going to lose some golf courses, but I’m glad Boothbay isn’t going to be one of them,” said Nancy Storey, executive director of the Maine State Golf Association.

The association has a good working relationship with Harris Golf, Storey said.

Boothbay Board of Selectmen’s Chairman Chuck Cunningham said he expects residents will be pleased that the course will remain a course, and that Harris Golf will be managing it.

Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce executive director Catherine Wygant Fossett described the club’s new lease on life as huge news for the area’s tourism industry.

“It gives people one more thing to do when they stay here. I’m delighted at the news,” she said. Coulombe’s purchase is a testament to his desire to help the community, she said, adding that Coulombe has a history of supporting chamber events.

Among his philanthropic efforts, Coulombe, former head of White Rock Distilleries in Lewiston, gave Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science  $250,000 last year to benefit its Ocean Science and Education Campus in East Boothbay. He also donated $300,000 to the Cuckolds Light restoration project in addition to major donations to the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library and the rebuilding of the Pratts Island Bridge on Southport.

Those interviewed following this week’s announcement were glad Coulombe has called on Harris Golf to manage the course. The Bath-based company either owns or operates nine other Maine courses, and owned the Boothbay club before selling it in 2008.

“Harris always did a great job in Boothbay,” Tom Blake of Southport said. “I’ll be happy to see them come back. They’ll do a great job,” he said.

Some also praised Coulombe’s plans to encourage new golfers, including children.

“That’d be great, because there are a lot of kids I know of who would love to play golf, and fitness is so important,” said Edgecomb Selectman Stuart Smith, an occasional golfer at Boothbay.

The club’s recent fiscal troubles cost it this year’s Maine Matchplay Invitational Championship. The Maine State Golf Association moved the event to Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn. The association’s tour is already booked at other clubs, but a Boothbay stop might still be able to be arranged, Storey said.

Meanwhile, plans are full speed ahead for the club to host the Boothbay Charity Classic Celebrity Golf Tournament to benefit Special Olympics Maine, on September 28.

The event’s co-chairperson, Brenda Blackman of Boothbay, said she has spoken with Harris Golf. “I told them we’re very excited that Paul has purchased the club, and we’re looking forward to our twenty-third year,” Blackman said.

In its first 22 years at the club, the tournament has raised about $700,000 for Special Olympics Maine, Blackman said. Last year’s raised the most yet, about $42,000.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.