I had planned to write a column on my enthusiasm playing my first round of golf of 2010 at the opening day of the Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport , but at 86, I’m afraid the weather was a bit too much for me to hit off the first tee.

I played my first round of golf on my 14th birthday in 1937 at Rye, New Hampshire, and this year will be my 73rd attempting to sink a putt. With my new pacemaker and with home dialysis, maybe I could hit the ball a bit longer. But, then, if you’re a dedicated golfer with a true love for the game, you tend to be an optimist no matter how you score.

But what is interesting and exciting is the winter-long renovation of the historic course. Last year’s season opened with two new bridges in place.  Both are higher than the once-venerable wooden bridges, which had to be taken down because of the winter’s ice on the Kennebunk River and reassembled in the spring. Right after Labor Day weekend last year, a giant renovation was started by two companies. The major project was improving the fairway’s drainage and irrigation and in the restoration of the links-type course by the legendary Walter J. Travis.  As I wrote in the “History of the Cape Arundel Golf Club,” published last September, “All courses designed by Walter J. Travis have a special mystique for a lover of the game of golf, and Cape Arundel Golf Club, with its undulating greens and strategically placed bunkers, truly reflects that special appeal.”

All during the winter months, despite rain and snow and cold if not frigid weather, the construction workers moved literally tons of soil, changed the flow of streams and, in some cases, reduced the height of  several of the tees.  One plan was to move the 15th tee back to near the road and make the hole far more difficult to par.  However, until I play the course this week, I won’t know if the tee has been relocated.

Since my daily dialysis occurs four times, I have plenty of time to think about the game and, as most of my friends, know, my love for the game and for Cape Arundel. And I honestly believe that this fondness has kept me going all these years despite my renal failure and other physical problems. 

Of course, I realize that at my age, my game leaves a lot to be desired  But to be on the course and occasionally hitting a good shot and sinking a putt, makes it all worthwhile.  I feel privileged to be a member and to write the club’s history.

Yes, it’s for sale at the clubhouse and local book stores, including The Book Port in Shopper’s Village, Kennebunk. And here’s a reminder: My new e-mail address is georgedouglas@myfairpoint.net. 

— George Douglas writes regularly about his experiences as a kidney dialysis patient. He is the former editor of the Boston Post. He lives in Kennebunk and can be contacted via e-mail at georgedouglas@myfairpoint.net.