Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I was Reminded of at Auburn Golf & Country Club

- David Ringwood (#8)

            When I learned that Auburn Golf & Country Club (Lakeview Golf Club) was going to close, I was saddened because I have wonderful memories of the place and realize that some of the most important lessons I learned from my parents and siblings were reinforced during my time as an AGCC employee and budding golfer.

Lesson #1     “If you work hard, people will notice and be grateful.”

I started working in the kitchen at Auburn Golf & Country Club in the spring of 1978.  I was a 16-year-old Sophomore at Auburn High School and this was my first real job.  I was very excited.  My classmate and fellow AHS Golf Team member Gary was going to be working in the kitchen with me.  The job was exactly as you imagine – washing dishes, washing pots & pans, sweep, mop, take out the trash.  Some shifts were busier than others.  A wedding reception made for a busy shift.  A dinner shift in early April most likely was not going to be as busy.  I re-learned a very valuable life lesson during one of those slow weekday shifts.

I was the only dishwasher working that evening and, if memory serves, a small number of people came to eat at AGCC.  I usually brought my school work with me to work when I was scheduled to work a weekday shift.  If it was slow, I would work on my homework due the next day at school.  On this particular day, I did not have my school work.  I’m not sure if I forgot to bring it or if I did not have any homework that evening.  Slow shift, no homework, nothing to do – right?  Not quite.  I decided that I was going to give my work area around the dishwasher a thorough cleaning.  This involved laying on the floor underneath the dishwasher to sweep out anything and everything that was out of sight.  There was PLENTY to sweep out from underneath the dishwasher!

About 15 minutes into my mission, I heard a voice nearby asking me what I was doing and if I was OK.  I slid out from under the dishwasher to find the AGCC Club President.  I think he was worried that I had fallen.  I smiled, told him I was OK and explained that I was cleaning the nooks and crannies.  That brought a smile to his face.  He thanked me for doing a good job and encouraged me to keep up the good work.

As the President left the kitchen, I thought to myself that he must think I am a lunatic.  The shift ended – wash the dishes, wash the pots & pans, sweep, mop, take out the trash, go home.  I didn’t give the incident another thought until I received my next pay check.  The Club President had written a note on my pay check stub – “Good Job David!”  In addition to the words of encouragement, the Club President had also arranged for me to receive a raise.  This event helped me to re-learn something my parents and siblings had taught me my entire life.  If you work hard, people notice and are grateful.  It’s a lesson I’ve tried to remember my entire life and share with my children.

Lesson #2     “You’ve got to learn to drive somehow.”

Turning 16 years old in New York State is one of the first milestone events for a young man.  Afterall, turning 16 means something extremely important – driver’s license.  However, my older brother Paul made it very clear to me that there really was no reason for me to get my driver’s license because he was never going to let me use the car.  It never occurred to me at the time that my brother was full of it.  The car, after all, belonged to our mother.  She would determine who could use the car.  Because this fact did not occur to me, I listened to my brother and waited to get my license.

The kitchen crew at AGCC was a wonderful collection of individuals.  Jim and Brian were assistants to the head cook.  Both were young and fun.  They took their jobs seriously but made sure the shift was filled with laughs.  When they worked the radio was on which meant that rock-n-roll filled the kitchen.  In addition to being terrific cooks, both were brilliant mimics and each could impersonate the head cook (whose name I cannot remember) brilliantly.  Most of the waitresses had worked at the club for many years.  They all seemed to smoke, a lot.  They knew all of the members by name and what cocktails each drank.  Most importantly, they seemed to look out for the dishwashers.  Being at the bottom of the pecking order, it was nice to know that someone had my back.  One evening, for example, I was promoted from dishwasher to bus boy.  I was excited to be out of the kitchen and eager to do a good job.  A bus boy is essentially an assistant to the waitress.  Bus boys make sure the water glasses remain filled.  Bus boys clear the dirty dishes, clean the table and reset it for the next guest.  If asked, the bus boy will carry the tray to the table and the waitress will serve the food.  On this particular evening, one of the dinner options included a buffet.  In my enthusiasm, I cleared and reset one table quickly and, from my perspective, expertly.  The only problem was that the guests at that table had NOT finished their meal.  They had simply gone to the buffet line!  Understandably, the guests were upset, I was embarrassed and the waitress was caught in the middle.  I didn’t get fired.  I didn’t get yelled at.  Jim and Brian thought it was hysterical and the waitress told me not to worry about it.  I’m not sure I ever got a chance to bus tables again which was fine with me.

At the end of the shift, the waitresses typically asked the dishwashers to drive their cars from the front parking lot to the back of the clubhouse near the kitchen entrance.  After a long shift, the waitresses did not look forward to walking around the clubhouse to their cars before driving home.  They would toss us their keys and ask, “David, be a sweetie and bring my car around back.”  Of course, I was happy to help.  The only problem was I really didn’t know how to drive and I didn’t have my license.   The lesson I learned in those moments was a simple one.  You’ve got to learn how to drive somehow.  I don’t recall my brother Paul volunteering to teach me so the next best thig was to move the waitresses’ cars for them.  Fortunately, I was a better car valet than a bus boy.

Lesson #3     “Siblings are more than just older.”

When I began working in the kitchen at Auburn Golf & Country Club as a high school student in 1978, my older brother Jack was also an AGCC employee.  Jack was student at Georgetown University at the time and had recently completed a year of study in England.  Jack did not work in the kitchen.  His job started when the restaurant, bar and Pro Shop closed.  He was the “Evening Clean-Up Guy”.  When I started working, the question I answered most often was, “Are you Jack’s brother?”  My affirmative answer always resulted in the following response – “I sure hope that you are as good a worker as your brother.”  Wow, Jack was a legend!

It didn’t take long for me to understand Jack’s legendary status.  From time to time, I would help Jack after my shift in the kitchen ended.  He was responsible for cleaning and vacuuming the restaurant and bar area.  He was responsible for doing the same in the Men’s and Women’s locker rooms.  If there was an event, Jack would sweep and tidy up in the ball room.  He cleaned the Men’s and Women’s restrooms.  In other words, Jack made sure everything was cleaned and ready to go for the next day.  Jack earned the reputation of an exceptionally hard worker.  I can vouch for that and saw a side of my older that I had never really seen before.  He didn’t simply “get the job done.”  Instead, his goal was to make people notice and boy did they notice.

In spite of the fact that I’ve had 9 chances (1 for each of my siblings), I only worked with one of my siblings (not counting the paper route).  I learned a lot working with Jack.  I learned that if you are going to do anything, give it your maximum effort.  I learned that very same lesson from my parents and siblings by observation.  I learned that lesson from Jack working side by side. 

Thanks to AGCC, I re-learned that Jack was much more than my older brother.  I learned that he was a working mad man and an AGCC legend.  You’ve earned an Optimo, Jack!

Lesson #4     “Golf is way more than a game.”

I’ve known since I was a little boy that golf is a special game.  I saw how much my father enjoyed the game.  I saw how much fun my parents had playing together.  I saw how golf connected to my father’s job as a salesman.  I’ve come to learn that golf is a lot like life.

My love for the game of golf corresponds with my starting to work at AGCC.  I can’t remember how it happened but I know I had the “golf bug” by age sixteen.  I loved the sound of metal spikes in the parking lot and the smell of freshly cut fairways.  I loved spending time at the practice area between the 17th and 18th fairways trying to improve.  I loved the practice putting green and pretending that the three-foot putt before me was to win the Masters.  I’ve always been attracted to the individual nature of the game.  I never minded and still don’t mind playing alone.  That is when golf, for me, reflects life with its emphasis on effort, honesty and playing by the rules.

As I mentioned, growing up it was obvious how much golf meant to my father.  My introduction to the game was caddying for him, as it was for my older siblings.  I loved those moments with my father and it was particularly interesting to see my dad with his “golf buddies”.  I acquired my first “golf buddies” at AGCC.  For as much as I enjoy playing golf alone, some of my favorite memories are rounds with my friends which had its start at AGCC.

My friend Gary also worked in the Kitchen at AGCC.  We played a lot and even teamed up several times in the Boyle Invitational which was a local event held each August that always attracted a very strong field.  My friends Bill and Mike were AGCC club members.  Along with Gary, we were members of the Auburn HS Golf team.  We’d finish practice down the hill at Owasco CC and race up the hill to AGCC to get as many holes in before the sun went down.  Other AGCC golf friends included JF and Paul.  Both were younger members of the team.  They were very good players and made those evening rounds special.

Just to be clear, I was never a member at AGCC.  My Mom joined years later.  I must have been there so often that people simply assumed I was a member.  I think the Club Pro, Frank Nastri, simply wanted to encourage as many young people to embrace the game as I had.

Lesson #5     “If you want something, make your case and follow up.”

For as much as I loved working with Jim, Brian, Viola, Esther, Paula, Gary, Jack and the rest of the Kitchen staff, I really wanted to work in the Pro Shop in order to be closer to the game I love.  I shared this with my mother and she reminded my that “you never get anything unless you ask for it.”  She encouraged me to write a letter to the Club Pro. I did that and waited for a reply.  After several weeks waiting, my mother encouraged me to visit the Pro Shop in order to make sure my letter had been received.  The Pro, Frank Nastri, was very kind.  He stopped what he was doing and “interviewed” me on the spot.  Our conversation ended as I’d hoped it would.  The following Spring, I would be working in the Pro Shop at Auburn Golf & Country Club.  Another lesson re-learned.  If you want something, make your case and follow up.

So long Jim, Brian, Viola, Esther, Paula, Gary and Jack.  Hello Frank, Thom, Jimmy, Brian, Pete and Matt.

Lesson #6     “Be ready for good things to happen.”

Working in the Pro Shop at AGCC was by no means glamorous.  It wasn’t terribly complicated.  Read the tee sheet and pull the clubs.  Be ready before the players arrived.  Know who would walk and who would take a cart.  Greet the players with a smile.  At the end of the round, meet the players with a smile (even if they weren’t smiling).  Clean the clubs and return them to storage or bring them to the players car.  Clean the carts and park them out back.  Straighten the shop, vacuum, empty the trash and go home.

One difference between working in the Kitchen and Pro Shop was visibility.  People eating in the Restaurant typically did not know the names of the dishwashers.  The golfers, however, did know the names of the bag boys and Pro Shop workers.  There was much more interaction and, in spite of the age difference, a shared love for the game. 

League nights we always busy regardless of whether it was a Men’s or Ladies league.  Pull the clubs.  Put partners clubs together.  Get ready for the players to arrive.  Typically, the leagues were a shotgun start meaning that everyone would start and finish at approximately the same time.  This was done because league night included a meal after play and card playing after that.  As a bag boy, there was a flurry of activity before and after the round.  It was pretty quiet in between with an opportunity to eat dinner and/or visit the putting green.

One afternoon, shortly before Men’s League began, Lefty G., one of the league members came rushing up to me to let me know that his partner had cancelled at the last minute.  He was desperate for a substitute.  “You play, don’t you?”  I responded that I did but would, most likely not be able to get away from work.  “Go get your clubs.  I’ll explain everything to Frank.”  Sure enough, Lefty got the OK from Frank and I got to play with the understanding that I would get right back to work when the round was over.  I must have played pretty well that evening because the next time our paths crossed, Lefty let me that he had told his partner that his services were no longer required.  Lefty had a new partner – me!  Another lesson re-learned.  Be ready for good things to happen.  Thanks Lefty!

Conclusion

I am saddened to think that when the 2024 golf season begins, Auburn Golf & Country Club will no longer be an option for play.  I’ll miss the putting green and the downhill iron shot to the 2nd green.  I’ll miss how good hitting the tiny 4th green felt.  I’ll miss trying to drive the 8th green.  I’ll miss how good it felt to make par on holes 14, 15 and 18.  However, I have enjoyed this trip down memory lane.  It has provided me with an opportunity to remember what my life was like at age 16.  I’ve had a chance to think about people I have not seen in years, some of whom have passed all having made a huge impact on me.  I’ve had a chance to remember falling in love with golf and how rewarding it was to EARN a paycheck.  This trip has also reminded me that AGCC (by now you’ve probably noticed that I don’t refer to the club as Lakeview.  It will ALWAYS be AGCC to me) has played a very important role in my life.  My parents and siblings taught me to always work hard, be ready, cherish friends, respect co-workers, and that it was OK to ask for something provided you always remembered to be grateful.  Working at AGCC provided me with an opportunity to experience/re-learn these lessons.  I am much older now, but these lessons, like my memories of AGCC, will forever, hold a very special place in my heart.

 -David Ringwood (November 2023)