Paul Coulombe, the Southport man who recently bought the Boothbay Country Club, has picked a veteran Maine golf course business to help manage the facility.

HF Golf of Scarborough owns Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough and operates Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach.

Coulombe has also asked Chad Penman, an assistant pro at two of the nation’s top golf clubs, to take over as head golf professional and general manager. Rob Wyllie is staying on as superintendent, handling maintenance and turf conditions.

Coulombe bought the club for $1.4 million in February, after the Bank of Maine foreclosed on its loan to former owner Jim Reeves. In March, the bank and Reeves sued each other over the sale and the loan.

In a press release announcing Coulombe’s purchase, the Knickerbocker Group had said a prior owner of the club, Harris Golf, would be managing the course. However, a Harris Golf representative said recently that the company is no longer involved.

With the March 20 snowfall a minor setback, work on the tees and bunkers will start as soon as possible, HF Golf owner Daniel Hourihan said. Coulombe is targeting an opening date of May 22, Hourihan said.

“(Coulombe) has big plans for the course. Our role is really to help him implement his plans,” Hourihan said in an interview March 22.

“Based on our experience, we’re going to help make it happen. But it’s his vision,” Hourihan said.

“Paul is committed to making the facility a first-class golf destination in Maine,” Hourihan said, according to a press release sent to the Boothbay Register.

This season, Hourihan said the course will be operated with the goal of providing the members and guests with superior service and the best conditions possible.

Penman, a native of Brazil, Ind., learned his trade working summers as an assistant pro at Maidstone, one of the premier family country clubs in East Hampton, N.Y. During the winter, he has worked at Calusa Pines, a high-end club geared toward serious golfers. He has had a rounded career at both clubs and been heavily involved in instruction for members and juniors. One of his goals is to encourage and instruct junior golfers, Penman said in an interview.

Plans call for the Boothbay course to be available for public play after 1 p.m. Fees will be down from last year, Hourihan said. (See chart).

“It doesn’t sound too bad,” 2012 club member Gary Blake of Boothbay said of this year’s fees. He plans to join again this year. However, Blake said he would rather see the course open to the public all day.

He’s looking forward to being back at the course, though. “I’m glad it’s going to be up and running,” he said.

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