Country Club Blues :: Essays Papers

ï » ¿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 â€Å"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. â€Å"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.