Since his days as a member of the University of Maine golf team in the early 1970s, Mark Plummer of Manchester has seen the evolution of Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono.

As the three-time defending champion in the 84th Maine Amateur Golf Championship that gets under way at PVCC today, Plummer will be playing it in a condition that he readily remembers.

“The greens are back to the way they used to be,” said Plummer, who won the Amateur at Penoby in 1984 and finished third to Rick Ambrose of Bangor in 1992.

The sloping greens are the heart of the golf course, according to Plummer, with their fast speed being the key. “If the greens are slow, the golf course is pretty defenseless,” said Plummer, who has won the Amateur 13 times overall, the first in 1973.

The course, designed by renowned golf course architect Donald Ross, has been refurbished in recent years including new and rebuilt sand bunkers, the removal of some trees, and the enlarging of some greens. “I hope [tournament director Romeo Laberge] is kind to us,” said Plummer. “He always likes to find the tough pin placements. You can do that without even trying there.”

Plummer said that while he is playing quite a bit, he is only playing so-so.

In spite of that assessment, he won the Maine Golf Hall of Fame’s Unicel Tournament of Club Champions at PVCC in May. His 1-under-par 71 was four strokes better than runner-up Scott Dewitt of Biddeford, a Maine Amateur semifinalist last year who is also returning.

Play begins with two days of stroke-play qualifying today and Wednesday with the low 16 advancing to two days of match play with morning and afternoon rounds Thursday and Friday.

Plummer’s threesome, which includes 1999 Maine Amateur winner Ron Brown Jr. of Cumberland Foreside and two-time Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament champ Jesse Speirs of Bangor, kicks play off at 6:45 a.m.

“I’ll have to leave at quarter of 5,” laughed Plummer. “I’ll catch the sunrise on the way up.”

The other 125 players will be trying to catch Plummer.

Beating him has proved to be difficult, no matter what the format.

For many years, it was held at stroke play – 54 holes over three days, low score wins. Plummer won that way at least 10 times.

The last two years have seen a return to a match play format that has also suited Plummer.

Last year at Falmouth Country Club, he defeated James Frost Jr., now of Brewer, on the 16th hole, 3 and 2.

In 2001 at Augusta Country Club, his home club in Manchester, Plummer came back from three holes down with three to play to defeat Corey Poulin of Jackman on the 20th hole.

Frost and Poulin are back for another try at Plummer.

Eighteen-year-old Jeff Bouchard of Hampden could also be a contender. He’s a member at PVCC, as is the 16-year-old Speirs, and Bouchard knows what it will take to do well.

“Going into the Amateur, I’ll be working on my short game more,” said Bouchard last week.

Length and position off the tee and approach shots will be the keys.

“The greens are a lot firmer and the ball is rolling great right now,” Bouchard said. “It’ll be tough, but it’s a fun tournament.”

Other contenders include Ambrose, a PVCC member; Ricky Jones of Thomaston, the 2001 Bunyan champ; Todd Kirn of Sanford, last year’s other semifinalist; Shawn Warren of Windham, another promising junior player; Corey Pion of Augusta, who led Husson College of Bangor to the NAIA national tournament this year and is a PVCC member; and Joe Alvarez of Orono, runner-up in last year’s Bunyan and also a PVCC member.

Four wins in a row by Plummer would be the most since Dick Diversi of Waterville claimed five straight from 1953 to 1957. Only one other time has the same person won even three in a row, and that was also Plummer (1982-84).

‘I aim toward this tournament,” said Plummer. Because it comes in July, it gives him time to prepare, although he’s not overly worried about his game.

“Hopefully, by now everything is in working order,” Plummer said with a chuckle.