Harwich Golf Committee Hears Rate Increase Pressure as Debt Mounts at Cranberry Valley

HARWICH -- May 26, 2026, Harwich Golf Committee hears finance officials are pushing for rate increases at Cranberry Valley Golf Course. Director of Golf Roman Guerrier told the four-member committee at its May 26 meeting that a recent session with the town administrator, assistant administrator, and finance director left him with a clear signal that current rates are too low to support the course's upcoming debt obligations, including a $1 million bunker replacement in fiscal year 2029 and a $2.5 million maintenance building replacement the following year. A 2025 town bond covering the irrigation project has structured golf's repayment over only six years, producing peak annual payments Guerrier described as "beyond our capabilities to manage and plan." He estimated that a $5 green fee increase would generate roughly $75,000 a year, and a $100 annual pass increase would add approximately $100,000, with the course currently holding the lowest resident annual pass rate among comparable Cape courses. Annual pass sales stand at 1,060 compared to 1,106 at the same point in last year's record-setting season, which topped 1,300. The committee tabled a driving range improvement discussion to its June 16 meeting and took no formal vote on rates, which are set by the Select Board each fall.