Golfers pack Massachusetts course on opening day despite lingering snow

It's mid-March, but some snow on the ground didn't stop Massachusetts golfers from hitting the links on Sunday.

A golf course in Stoneham is living up to its name. Unicorn Golf Course, in something of a rarity in Greater Boston this time of year. The course officially opened for the season on Sunday.

General Manager and Director of Operations Dennis Maxfield said the tee times filled up faster than you can say "fore."

"People are extremely happy to be here, be outdoors, just seeing a lot of smiles. That makes me happy," Maxfield told WBZ News.

A drive around the nine-hole course showed that it's still early in the season - the grass isn't as green and remnants of a brutal winter are lingering across the grounds. Instead of a greenside bunker, one hole still had a snow pile behind it.

"Thankfully we had those two days where it was almost record temps," Maxfield said. "Being able to open up today is definitely something I didn't see in my forecast, but I was able to do it."

For diehard golfers, simply being open is enough, an opportunity to tee off for the first time in months.

"He texted me yesterday and was like, 'Unicorn's open on Sunday.' And I'm like, 'For real?'" said Buddy Hanley, who came to golf Sunday. "Every snowstorm that came I'm like, all right, there's another few weeks. We're not getting out there. So [today's] a nice, nice surprise."

An early season round also means keeping expectations low.

"I think breaking 50 at the end of the March is the goal here, so we'll see what happens today," Felix Martignetti said.

For many players, the scorecard matters less than the chance to get outside and the sign that spring may finally be around the corner.

"Just having people out here having a good time. You know, that's what keeps me going," Maxfield said. "It's not just golf itself. It's seeing the relationships and friendships and people just having a great time."