Harwich sports roundup, July 20 to July 26

HARWICH -- The Harwich Golf Committee, meeting July 21, heard from the course director that the club is in "full operations mode" this summer, with tee sheets running near capacity, about 310 to 320 of 340 available daily slots filled before phone bookings fill the rest.

TOWN -- Course superintendents Sean Fernandez and Rob Donovan were credited with strong spray timing that has kept turf conditions strong through a mix of dry stretches and rain. The course has added a new divot-mix bottle holder at the 10th tee, and staff report golfers are using it heavily to speed divot regrowth. The dry range tee, closed since the previous Thursday for its annual midsummer regrowth period, is expected to reopen in about two weeks pending staff evaluation. Greenside bunkers on the back nine have been refilled with a new high-density sand, with the front nine to follow by fall.

The committee's rounds report showed the course on pace for roughly 44,000 rounds this year, consistent with recent history after a jump from about 39,000 rounds before the pandemic. Annual pass sales stand at about 1,260, down slightly from the post-pandemic surge but described by the director as a strong number, with very few pass holders unable to get requested tee times. Course revenue is up following rate increases of $50 for residents and $100 for non-residents implemented last year.

On pace of play, the director said GPS tracking of carts shows an average round time of about 4 hours, 9 minutes since tee times were spaced to 10-minute intervals. Committee members also discussed golfers' continued requests for the return of red, white and blue markers indicating pin position on the green, which staff said were phased out to give grounds crews flexibility to place daily hole locations based on turf conditions rather than fixed rotation zones.

Compiled from team and league reports, reader submissions, and local coverage.