FAIRHAVEN – The Acushnet Co. plans to cut 77 jobs at its distribution center and two local golf ball plants over the next 30 days, The Standard Times reported today.

Mary Lou Bohn, a spokeswoman for the company, told the newspaper the work force reductions will occur at Plants II and III, located in North Dartmouth and New Bedford, respectively, and at its Fairhaven distribution center.

Bohn also emphasized that the company often adjusts the size of its work force based on changes in market demand for golf balls. “We anticipate this reduction being a short-term adjustment to production levels,” she said.

This is the fifth round of job cuts at The Acushnet Co. since May 2008. The company had last laid off 169 workers in late April.

Sales of golf equipment and products have been hit hard by the recession. The company, a division of Deerfield, Ill.-based Fortune Brands Inc., said first-quarter net sales were down by more than 12 percent year-over-year.