New England’s Mild Winter Good for Golf, Tees Off Skiers

The snow machines are going full time on New England ski slopes, but it’s hard for some skiers to get motivated when the golf courses are still open in January.

In New England, normally frigid temperatures this time of year have reached the 60s, and below-normal snowfall has left slopes and cross-country routes spotted with rocks or grass.

“I had a customer who was going to come in and buy some skis. Instead, he went golfing,” said Chris Perry at Joe Jones Ski & Sports in South Portland.

At Mt. Abram ski resort, more than half of the 35 trails remain closed.

“If we don’t have snow by February, that’s going to be a really serious situation for us, because February makes or breaks the winter season,” said Robert Uguccioni, executive director of the Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau in Pennsylvania.

In Maine, Portland is experiencing the longest stretch of snowless days since records were first kept in 1881-82.

The last time the city saw measurable snowfall was March 16. The lack of snow has put Portland almost 2 feet behind schedule for a typical winter, in which 6 feet of snow fall.

The weather has turned colder this week, but there are no plans to close the Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough.

“We’re going until the snow flies,” said Larry Chapman, manager of the pro shop.