The greens aren’t that green yet, but it doesn’t matter. The clubhouse is open, the golf carts are ready and the diehards are back for the season.

Meadow Greens Golf Course in Austin opened on St. Patrick’s Day, the first course to open this year in Minnesota, according to Mike Grinstead, course superintendent and general manager.

Golf is a popular sport in southern Minnesota in the warmer months, and Meadow Greens’ opening must mean the days of county fairs, summer festivals and neighborhood barbecues are right around the corner.

“We always try to be the first ones in the state to open,” Grinstead said.

The facility has been a part of Mower County for more than 15 years, with the front nine making its debut in 1993 and the back nine following in 1997. Its early openings can be attributed to good drainage and a lack of wooded areas and trees that normally hold the snow.

“It will be beautiful in another month,” Grinstead said, about the still yellowish greens. “A few warm days and some rain, and it will start to pop.”

Despite the struggling economy, Grinstead, who owns the course with his parents and also owns a course in St. James, said business has grown each year, a testament to the hard work that goes into it.

“We’re fighting for everyone’s disposable income,” he said. “So at a facility like ours, it’s important to make sure we do a good job and provide a good value for the dollar. We have to shine more than ever.”

Golfers can play 18 holes for $20 on a course that Grinstead described as player friendly, family friendly and offers plenty of challenges for everyone.

It will also boast a new pavilion soon that will be able to accommodate special golfing events.

“I think people come to Meadow Greens because of the fabulous atmosphere,” he said. “There are no attitudes here, everyone is welcome and the playing conditions are second to none.”

Mike Taylor golfs at least five days a week and boasts a handicap of 14.

On Wednesday, he was at Meadow Greens practicing his short game.

The Austin resident played golf for Lyle High School at the Adams course and said so far, the economy hasn’t kept him from playing.

“It hasn’t affected me yet because I have a steady job, and I’m a golf enthusiast,” he said.

Grinstead’s focus, on the other hand, is as a course manager, although he admits to getting in a few rounds of golf each year.

“If I have any extra time I spend it with my family somewhere,” he said. “If I play golf, I can’t play at one of my courses because I’ll see something that drives me crazy. It’s the nature of the beast.”