AUBURN — It’s all about the parking space.

Brian Bilodeau doesn’t get to play as much golf at Martindale Country Club these days as he’d like. Every time he did show up in the past calendar year, however, Bilodeau basked in the spoils that go to the club champion.

“There’s a parking space on the cul de sac right next to the clubhouse that we play for. I didn’t want to have to walk,” Bilodeau said. “The ladies’ club championship was held the same weekend and Melissa Johnson successfully defended her title. We won’t have to see any new cars next to us.”

Bilodeau, 30, defeated Dan Hargreaves in the 36-hole final to successfully defend his crown. He knocked off three other fellow members in the early rounds.

Not bad for a guy whose golf bag has stayed in the trunk of that prominent vehicle most of the time.

Work — which, coincidentally enough, involves finding new homes for sleek objects on four wheels — gets in the way most days.

“I buy and sell cars. I’m on the road a lot,” Bilodeau said. “It’s tough to play golf when you’re going around to auctions and stuff. I’m up very early in the morning.”

Bilodeau has been a mainstay in Maine State Golf Association weekend tournaments.

Time and space haven’t permitted any of that fun and competition in 2014. Prior to the season, Bilodeau circled three competitive situations on his calendar: Maine Amateur at Woodlands Club in Falmouth; Charlie’s Maine Open at Augusta Country Club in Manchester; and the club championship.

He was 18th in the amateur, then backed it up with a solid start at the open: 68 on a damp Monday morning in what was scheduled to be a 36-hole showcase.

Then came the heavy rain, making it impossible to finish the first round that day. MSGA officials scrubbed the few rounds that were completed and started the tournament over in a one-day format.

“Like a lot of people I didn’t play as well the second day,” Bilodeau said. “I shot 72. It was a tough call to make no matter what they did.”

Bilodeau skipped August’s match play championship at Sable Oaks in South Portland.

Because he sat out the weekend slate, he didn’t accumulate the points necessary to compete in the tri-state team tournament against New Hampshire and Vermont in September. Maine is the two-time defending champion.

“I really enjoy that tournament, and this will be the first one I’ve missed in four or five years. Kind of my goal for the season was to play as well in the amateur and the open as I could, and win the club championship,” Bilodeau said. “I usually play everything, but I didn’t have the chance this year, so those were the three big tournaments I wanted to do well in.”

In addition to the changes in his itinerary, Bilodeau has been trying to adjust his swing. As you might guess, those trends don’t exactly fit together.

“It’s tough to work on that when you’re only playing nine holes once in a while. I don’t even go to the driving range,” Bilodeau said. “I’ve stayed pretty good off the tee, and at Martindale you don’t really have to hit it long. If you keep the ball in play, you’re going to be alright.”

Bilodeau stayed as sharp as possible by playing nine holes in the evening one or two nights a week, he said.

Most years he would have carded more than 100 full rounds by now. He has been a member at Martindale for six summers. His first four tries at the club championship, Bilodeau finished second.

One look at the bracket reveals that a win is a tremendous accomplishment.

“We’ve got some good players. Andrew Slattery won the Maine Amateur. Will Kannegieser won the Junior Amateur. They both played in it,” Bilodeau said. “It’s pretty good competition.”

All of whom will get more exercise walking to the putting green than Bilodeau for the next 51 weeks.

“It’s not really about anything else. You get a little pro shop credit, but there’s no trophy. You don’t get your name on the wall,” he said. “It’s mostly for the parking space. That’s why people put all the pressure on themselves to work on their game.”

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