On October 5, 1996, about 1700 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172H, N3707R, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Chatham Municipal, Chatham, Massachusetts. The private pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In a written statement by the pilot, he stated that he was slow and high during the approach. He elected to continue the approach and landing, and not to perform a go-around. During the landing, the airplane bounced twice. The pilot indicated that he recently received his private pilot certificate and had an approximate total flight experience of 70 hours, of which 2 hours were in type. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, the pilot obtained his private pilot certificate October 4, 1996. Examination of the wreckage did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any.