Golf on Cape Cod had survived for many years on many of its older courses, most of them private, before the relative prosperity of the 1960s and the election of John F. Kennedy to the United States presidency that brought many new visitors and residents to the area.
Some forward-looking towns figured correctly that the new residents and increased visitors would need some type of recreational activity to pass the time, and by building golf courses, many acres of land would be saved from housing development. The Town of Dennis started the trend in the late 1960s with the debut of Dennis Pines, a very substantial layout, and then the neighboring town of Harwich did them one better by building Cranberry Valley Golf Course on a beautiful rolling site studded with handsome, mature oak trees that opened in 1973.
The dean of New England golf course architects, Geoffrey Cornish, and his then design partner, Bill Robinson, crafted an 18-hole, Par-72 beauty that is every bit the equal of Dennis Pines and, in fact, preferred by some golfers.
Cornish was originally contacted to survey the site in 1965, around the time that the Dennis Pines development was underway, but the wherewithal was not there yet in Harwich. From first view, Cornish loved the land. “I always thought it was a great site; a great site for a golf course.”
Robinson, who captained the Penn State Golf team, came in contact with local dentist and fellow Penn State alum, David Deferrie, who was determined to get the golf course built. A young local woman, who flew her own plane, conducted flyovers of the site and took aerial photos. Robinson then sketched holes on the aerials. Once DeFerrie and others had marshaled the forces in Harwich to build the course, Cornish and Robinson received their marching orders: “Build a golf course that would be difficult from the back tees and comfortable from the regular tees and above all design a layout that will epitomize Cape Cod and all that it stands for.”
From the responses of the golfing world, Cranberry Valley Golf Course was well received from the beginning by both residents and visitors alike. The challenging, but playable layout combined with more than reasonable prices saw Cranberry Valley hosting more than 50,000 rounds per year during its heyday.
The financial success was not lost on town administrators as the income exceeded the expenses, but rather than return the profits to the golf course, the funds were diverted to other municipal uses. This approach, common with municipal courses, can work for only a short period of time, but the golf facility will eventually suffer and Cranberry Valley was no different. Things became worn and frayed and attendance began to suffer.
Thanks to Dennis Hoye that trend has been reversed in recent years. Hoye, who grew up in Harwich and graduated from the local high school has held just about every position at Cranberry Valley during the last 24 years, starting as a cart boy and on the grounds crew as a youth, to now having been a Class A PGA Pro and Director of Golf for the last 11 years. Hoye took it upon himself to convince the town’s leaders that they needed to spend money on improvements citing the importance of quality conditions in order to compete in a crowded golf market on the Cape. Getting the town to spend money was no easy feat especially in these days of fiscal austerity, but Hoye kept returning to the public hearings with well thought out and researched proposals that were eventually accepted.
After consultation, Hoye and Harwich hired Cornish’s successor in the architecture business, Mark Mungeam, in 2007, to perform bunker restoration and expand the practice area by, among other things, creating a separate lesson tee, two target greens, widening the hitting area and also building chipping and pitching areas. The entire irrigation system was revamped, giving better coverage and allowing a much more targeted watering pattern that has cut down on water usage. The modest clubhouse was completely renovated and a new food and beverage vendor was selected, Back 9 Café, which has been doing a commendable job. Also, very importantly, Cranberry Valley now offers beverage cart service on course. Hoye says “The reviews have been good and we’re really looking forward to the future.”
Next up for capital improvements are the redoing of the cart paths and creating traffic flows that save the turf from constant wear and tear in the same places, renovating the tee boxes, and possibly relocating the maintenance building, which is entirely too visible where it currently sits.
Even though Cranberry Valley is spending money on needed improvements, the value is still there. With local single adult annual memberships at $655 and non-resident rates at $1,100, it is an extraordinary deal. Juniors ages 9-17 are only $100 and juniors ages 18-21 are $125. Spring and fall greens fees are $38 during the week and $54 on the weekends. Rates increase slightly to $64 for high season all week.
Cranberry Valley Golf Club has now resumed its rightful place as one of the best golf courses in New England. Go tee it up for a delightful day of golf in a place that is the epitome of Cape Cod. For more information, visit cranberrygolfcourse.com or call 508- 430-5234.