We’re in transition time. Ski related activities are intruding on golf, at least as far as playing goes. News for skiers includes the annual ski show in Portland wrapping up today and the induction ceremony for the new Maine Ski Hall of Fame next Friday night at Lost Valley.

News for golfers includes a look at the new course at Sunday River and a return to a pair of courses after a few years away. The mail is now bringing more ski material than golf and the big ski magazines are coming in with all the reviews of the new gear. We’ll get to that when we make the formal switch to skiing in this space and in the Sun Journal Winter Sports Supplement in November.

At the same time, ski shops are having preseason sales, the golf shops are cleaning house as many pros get set to head south for the winter. When I stopped at Norway CC Tuesday, Dave Mazzeo had the van all packed for his departure.

Two days before I had been at Sunday River, where they have a big craft show during a special season pass weekend, and the North American Wife Carrying Championships. Golf courses don’t have these kinds of events, but it was the course that attracted me. I started at the 18th hole, which has tees right next to the road up to Jordan Bowl.

I followed this fairway down to the spot where the footings for the club house were waiting for the foundation forms. Crossing this area of construction I found the ninth green and followed the fairway back toward the tees. I crossed over to No. 3 and on to No. 4. Climbing the elevated tees gave me a look at this interesting par-3 with the orange and red backdrop of the Mahoosuc range.

We’re going to hear a lot about this new layout between now and its opening next summer, but I can tell you right now that from the holes I saw, it’s going to be very good.

A few days earlier I had squeezed in a round at the Bethel Inn. The course was in excellent shape and Marketing Director Brad Jerome told me the resort has had a good summer with the golf school doing very well. Having Jason Hurd, listed as the top teaching pro in Maine according to Golf Digest, really made the phone ring. Jerome is looking forward to the opening of the new course at Sunday River as he feels that two good courses will make the area that much more popular as a golf destination.

Monday I finally got to play in one of the Maine Chapter NEPGA Pro-Ams. I joined Al Biondi and a pair of his Springbrook members at the Ledges for a best-ball event with a shotgun start. After two or three holes we were comfortable in short sleeve golf shirts on a day that was near perfect for golf. I promised my two new friends I would not mention their names as we finished well out of the money. It was a great day of golf even if the scores were not great.

Some local pros did very well. Bob Darling of Fox Ridge and Ron Bibeau of Turner Highlands tied for the individual title at 71. Darling teamed with Augusta’s Matt Murphy in the Pro-Pro competition for first place at 65. In the team pro-am Bibeau teamed with Dan Briggs, Steve Morin and Bruce Jordan to win gross at 67, while Darling, Dave Mathieu, Reed Elliott and Ryan Elliott won low net at 60.

If you haven’t joined your local pro in one of these regular Monday events, check them out. It’s a lot of fun and when it’s on a course as fine as The Ledges, it’s a real treat. Like most new courses, The Ledges continues to get better as it matures. We found the course in excellent condition. Located in the southern tip of the state, the York club will stay open until Thanksgiving, weather permitting.

When I was at Norway, Romeo LaBerge was there to update the course rating, something that keeps the MSGA Tournament Director busy between events. Unfortunately, I could not follow them around to see how this is done, but I did get to play nine holes with them later and got some insight into what goes into the process. One example was on No. 6, the short par-3 that plays a lot shorter because of the drop from tee to green.

The 167-yard hole plays a club and a half short, but a trap in front of the green makes it all carry, and the small green makes it difficult to hold. The ideal shot lands between the trap and the green and bounces on. Romeo said, “The trap makes the hole.”

It will be interesting to see what changes if any will be made in the rating.

Now we’ll be watching for those really nice days when we can sneak away for a few more rounds while we start checking out ski equipment.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.