Golfers would do well to get a good night’s sleep and maybe perk up with a little extra caffeine before teeing off for the 85th Maine Amateur Championship at Sanford Country Club, which begins today with medal play at 7 a.m.

“Somebody can shoot in the 60s here. You just have to stay awake,” said Jon Ellis, Head Pro at Sanford. “It’s a very fair layout. It’s not punishing, but just stay awake.”

The 6,703 yard, 18-hole course should put a premium on quality shot-making for the 126 competitors vying for 32 spots when match play begins Wednesday after two days of stroke play.

“I think people will be surprised by the quality of the golf course we have here,” said Ellis, who has been with the club three years. “It’s going to be set up fairly tough as far as the narrow fairways, and the roughs should be pretty decent.”

While Sanford was the site of last year’s qualifier, this is the first time it has hosted the Maine Amateur. Established in 1924 and designed by Alex T. Chisholm, a prominent pro from Portland Country Club, it was formerly known as Bauneg Beg Country Club, after the pond it borders. In 1997, the course underwent a nine-hole expansion designed by Marvin Armstrong.

Competitors will be playing the course backwards, starting at the par-4 10th (338 yards), which features a fairway bordered by woods to the right and a green tilted from back to front.

Ellis said players should also be tested by the par-4 15th (410 yards), an uphill dogleg right, as well as the longest par 5 they’ll encounter, the 18th (576 yards).

“The par fives that we have, if you put the ball in the fairway and make it a three-shot hole, they’re straight-forward,” he said, “but they’re tempting, as well.”

The backstretch doesn’t get any easier, with the 421-yard par-4 sixth hole with a pesky hill that can turn back shots shy of the green, and the ninth (413 yards), which also requires two good shots to reach in regulation.

With a good balance of distance, elevation change, grown-out roughs with lots of heather that can turn birdie holes into bogeys, and undulating greens that have come through a rough spring in good shape, the course can spring some surprises on competitors if they’re not paying attention, but will also reward well-played golf.

Rockland’s Ricky Jones will defend his title by teeing off with the first group, which includes Paris Hill’s Joe Baker, at 7 a.m. Monday. Thirteen-time champion Mark Plummer of Augusta leads the second group. Last year’s runner-up at Penobscot Valley, Jay Livingston of Kennebunkport, tees off at 10:30 a.m.

After two days of stroke play, the top 32 will advance to match play. There will be only one round of match play on Wednesday. The 16 winners will then be narrowed down to a single champion over two-rounds per day on Thursday and Friday.