BAR HARBOR — For the first time in its 124-year history, Kebo Valley Golf Club, opened its doors in early April.

“The frost is out of the ground,” said Peiter DeVos. “The soil temperatures are making it safe enough to go on the course without causing any permanent damage; it’s dry and it’s warm.”

The club, which was founded in 1888, is the eighth oldest in the United States and will launch its season officially with the MDI Basketball Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 19, as a fund-raiser for the Mount Desert Island High School girls’ and boys’ basketball teams.

The 19th annual David R. Harding Memorial Golf Tournament sponsored by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22, and will benefit the James C. MacLeod Scholarship Fund, a scholarship that will be awarded to a graduating senior from Mount Desert Island High School who plans to attend a trade or vocational school.

And the ever-popular Bunyan, which according to DeVos is the largest amateur event in the state, is set for Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3 at Kebo and Penobscot Valley Golf Course in Bangor.

“We had just short of 400 players participating in it last season,” DeVos said. “It’s a great outing.”

Also this year, Kebo is working to resurrect the Junior Bunyan, a junior golf tournament which DeVos hopes will attract the best junior golf players in the state. The Junior Bunyan would be Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1, at Kebo and Penobscot Valley.

Also new this year is a calendar change to the MDI Championship tournament, which typically takes place at Kebo, the Causeway Club in Southwest Harbor and the Northeast Harbor Golf Course in June. This year, the MDI Championship will be Sept. 21 to 23. For more information contact DeVos at 288-3000, ext 2.

The folks at Kebo also hope to further the club’s mission of supporting youth golf by hosting a series of junior events throughout the summer, starting with a clinic on Tuesday, July 10, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The clinic will run on Tuesday evenings for six weeks.

“It’s a complement to our junior golf camp. The camp runs July 23 to 26 and is in the mornings,” said DeVos, who suggested that interested individuals contact him at the Kebo pro shop or register through the Mount Desert Island YMCA. “It’s a popular camp, last year we had 30 and 40 kids join us.”

Also this summer, Kebo is planning to host a Sunday afternoon junior league that would be based on competition between age groups, dates and times have yet to be finalized.

“We’re hoping it keeps kids active on the course,” said DeVos. “Last year, the junior high teams had 30 kids playing and in the high school, there were 16 to 20 kids on the team. Youth golf is starting to grow again on the island and that’s positive thing, we want to be part of that growth process.”

This season, Kebo is hosting a membership drive. Potential members are able to lock in the 2012 rate if they sign up now for three years. The first year, members would pay 60 percent or $750 in dues, the second year it would be $1,000, and in 2014, a member who signed up during this lock-in offer would pay $1,250 in 2014.

As part of membership, kids play free through eighth grade.

For more sports news, pick up a copy of the Mount Desert Islander.