Whitney Hand is hoping a spring and summer’s worth of playing golf seven days a week will help her take a big step in her young career.

Hand, who will be a senior at Bucksport High School this year, is among the favorites as the Women’s Maine State Golf Association championships get under way this morning at Purpoodock Golf Club in Cape Elizabeth.

Two-time defending champion Lori Frost of Brewer has turned pro, which means she won’t be back to defend her title.

It also means the field will be tighter this year.

The first group to tee off – Martha White, who plays out of Hermon Meadow Golf Club, Pennie Cummings of Springbrook in Leeds and Mary Brandes of The Woodlands Club in Falmouth – will start at 7:30 a.m.

Although sisters White and Cummings have won a combined 18 championships since 1958 and Brandes is coming off a victory in the Southern Maine women’s amateur championship, it seems just as likely the state winner could come out of the second group.

Hand, Leslie Guenther of Norway Golf Club and Megan Angis of Biddeford-Saco Country Club will tee off at 7:40.

Hand finished fifth and was the junior champion in last year’s tournament at Rockland Golf Club.

Guenther was the runner-up last year. She was one stroke behind Brandes at the Southern Maine Women’s Golf Association championship July 18-19 and carded the lowest Maine score at the New England Women’s Golf Association championships, which was held earlier this month at the Sunday River Golf Club in Newry.

Angis tied for fifth at the SMWGA championships and was sixth last year in Rockland.

Brandes was third last year, White was fourth and Cummings finished in eighth place.

Hand came tantalizingly close to a top-3 finish at Rockland last year, sitting two shots behind Frost after the first day.

That’s been a motivation for Hand to play golf in some fashion seven days a week this season.

Her father, Wayne Hand, owns Bucksport Golf Club and Whitney herself works at the club. She doesn’t play a whole round every day but she’s at least out on the driving range or practice green daily.

She’s also been working out with a personal trainer.

“My short game’s a lot better now,” Hand said. “I think that’s what hurt me last year.”

Hand took a day recently to play a round at Purpoodock, a 5,169-yard, par-72 course. It’s 288 yards shorter than Rockland.

“Most of the par 5s I could reach in two [strokes] so I think there are a lot of opportunities for birdies,” she said. “The hardest par-5 [at Purpoodock] I parred. There weren’t too many hard holes.”

Hand is looking for better results than she’s had so far this summer. At the New England High School championships last month she shot an 87, which was a disappointing number for Maine’s defending high school girls champion even though it was the top score of the Maine golfers.

She finished near the bottom of the field at the NEWGA championships.

Hand was facing a few challenges at the NEWGA tournament. It was her first time playing Sunday River – it was likely the first time for most of the field because this is the first summer the entire 18-hole course has been open – and she was a last-minute addition to the team. It was also her first time playing in that event.

“But they did have a cut after the second day and I made it,” Hand said. “That was my goal.”