WAREHAM, Mass. —Ryan LaMarre didn’t take out his golf clubs until the beginning of August.

Golfing is just a hobby to him, so that wasn’t necessarily a problem. But for someone spending an entire summer on Cape Cod, the home of many sprawling golf courses, it was certainly surprising.

Ryan, the junior starting centerfielder for the Michigan baseball team, played for the Wareham Gatemen in the vaunted Cape Cod Baseball League this summer.

Widely considered the nation’s top amateur summer league, the Cape League boasts 10 teams filled with the best collegiate baseball players. It’s known for wooden bats, MLB draft hopes and tough competition — and the movie Summer Catch. Only two Michigan players earned roster spots on Cape League teams this summer, Ryan and relief pitcher Tyler Burgoon.

The normal season includes 44 games in two months with plenty of time for off-days. But this past summer, one marked by torrential rain instead of sunshine, rainouts and subsequent doubleheaders provided even more challenges for Cape League players to overcome.

So if that meant no golfing on off-days, so be it. Dry days meant baseball, and baseball provided a chance to get noticed by scouts and coaches. Cape Cod, the vacation hotspot, was a place for work, not play.

While many on the Cape this summer enjoyed beaches, par 4s and sunsets, Ryan was focusing on the barrel.

July 28, 2009: 10:45 a.m., Gleason Family YMCA

It’s a typical game day, which means that the nine hours at the field (early hitting, regular batting practice and the actual game) aren’t enough.

So Ryan and roommate Scott Rembisz, a reliever for Wareham and a junior at Florida International, head to the local gym.

The Cape League regular season is nearing its two-month mark, so everyone in town knows who plays for the Gatemen. Ryan and Scott wave hello to the YMCA’s receptionist (who wishes them good luck tonight) slide their membership cards through the card reader and walk toward the weight room.

Entering the two-part weight room, Ryan immediately puts down his protein drink and car keys and heads to the stationary bike for a quick warmup.

Forty-five minutes pass in a blur of bench pressing, bicep curls and abdominal workouts.

“Mention that I lift more now than when I work out with (Michigan first baseman Mike) Dufek,” Ryan says with a smile.

In the middle of the workout, Ryan and Scott are joined by Wareham teammates “Swags” and “Willy” — Jordan Swagerty and Zach Wilson, both from Arizona State.

It’s a short workout overall, because, as all four guys say, the previous day’s one was brutal and left them all sore.

A few more employees wish the pair good luck in tonight's game as the two roommates walk out of the YMCA. Sure, they’re wearing Gatemen T-shirts — but they like to think of it as a sort of local celebrity thing.

Ryan pauses near the door.

“Don’t forget to mention that Dufek thing.”

12:45 p.m., Sand & Surf Mini Golf

After a quick sandwich pickup from the local pizza place and a stop home to say hello to Ryan and Scott’s host family, the guys decide to kill some time before early hitting practice.

Ryan mentions that his three-year-old host sister learned how to turn on the heat the night before, which doesn’t make his basement bedroom living situation any more comfortable. He sleeps on an air mattress while Scott takes the futon. The other half of the basement is a sort of family room, complete with a mini-kitchen, a pair of couches and a TV. Living with two host siblings and two host parents, finding privacy can be a challenge for both Ryan and Scott.

Ryan’s Yukon XL is air conditioned, so it’s a vital part of the plan to kill time. A drive around Wareham — past the Chili’s, Walmart and various other restaurants and convenience stores — invites some topics of conversation about the town.

“I feel like everyone has tattoos and wears wife-beaters,” Ryan says. “If you don’t have a tattoo, you don’t fit in.”

It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not off by much. Wareham is very different from the rest of the towns that host teams in the Cape League. It’s the only one technically off the Cape. To get there requires a trip over either the Bourne or Sagamore bridges, both of which are known for heavy traffic. Bus trips for away games can be brutal.