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.