| Country Club Blues Essay, Research Paper
Country Club Blues
My first job is definitely the one I remember most, although
I did not always enjoy what I did. Many times during the eight
months I worked at Fauquier County Country Club I hated my job
one day and loved it the next, thus resulting in a very memorable
and exciting time of work. Working at a golf course may not have
been the most enjoyable job I have had, but it gave me new
experiences to interact with people and gain a sense of
responsibility.
I applied for a job at the Country Club on my 16th birthday
not having the slightest idea what I wanted to do for myself. I
simply recall having my first interview on the spot. During this
interview I was asked questions to the effect of my work ethic,
availability, and “Do you know how to say ‘yes, sir’ and ‘yes,
ma’am?’” Apparently I did fairly well, and was given a job as a
golf cart care specialist.
“Cart dog” was a rhetorical name given to the pro shop
maintenance crew by a highly-disliked boss. As a cart dog I was
given the duty of cleaning, storing, and preparing used carts for
their next use and picking the driving range clean of golf balls.
At times range picking became very annoying considering this was
all done on foot with a small bagger rather than a cart-pulled
cage. Although it did not take quite as long, cart cleaning was
much more annoying of a task. After thorough washing, carts had
to be arranged by color for the day they were to be used. Colors
used were red, yellow, blue, and green for Tuesday through
Friday, respectively. Though these were time-consuming tasks,
the cart dogs found other ways to have fun while working.
In addition to picking the driving range clean and cleaning
dirty golf carts, I was also required to ask to clean the golf
clubs of members who had finished playing for the day. This
being the only opportunity for tips in my minimum wage job, I
took this as a golden opportunity. I earned some extra money and
learned to speak in a professional manner to elders.
Club members would often leave extra equipment such as tees
and both day and glow-in-the-dark balls. Occasionally, I would
also find a few beers left in the carts’ coolers. For a 16-year-
old, just one beer was like heaven, so the two or three of us
working would make good use of leftovers while closing the shop.
Employees were also allowed to play golf when not working, making
for an enjoyable afternoon activity.
Working at a country club enabled me to gain a little
professional job experience while, at the same time, I had fun
doing so. I disliked my first job sometimes, and at other times
found it very amusing and fun. I also learned to deal with
people on a professional level, and it has helped tremendously.
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