Granite Bay Golf Club: caddies and hacks

The grass is always greener when viewed from a speeding golf cart. Eric McIntosh helps make sure the Granite Bay Golf Club maintains its lustrous lawn and that the players stay pleased. Catch him zipping from the first hole to the 18th hole as fast as his four wheels will take him, which is a good time, but the fun of the game is what really makes it all worthwhile.

Have you seen any famous players on the course?

Yeah, I’ve actually helped out Luke Wilson. He’s surprisingly a little short—and a very nice guy. And then there [were] a few sports athletes, like Derrek Lee who plays first base for the Chicago Cubs. He’s a member here, so he’ll come out during the off-season and come out and play.

Back in the day when the [Sacramento] Kings were really good, Chris Webber, Jon Barry, Scott Pollard and Bobby Jackson would come around every now and then. They love golf. Chris Webber used to ask for free membership, but then we figured out that he makes enough money in 12 seconds on the court just to be a member here, so you can’t do that.

On a hot, 100-degree day like this, how do you stay cool?

We’re really big on taking towels and putting them like in a bucket of water and ice and throwing it around [our] necks, and that just keeps [the] body cool throughout the day. I mean, you can drink water, but making sure that you’re staying cool really helps as well. And then when you can, find shade.

Do you get to drive golf carts?

Yeah. It was really cool when I first started for about the first month. You look forward to it at first; your friends are like, “So what do you do?” “I drive golf carts around all day.” You know, but after a while, it’s pretty, just, normal.

What’s the most fun thing you’ve done in a golf cart?

Once, [I] got seven people in one golf cart and just kinda went out, played dodgeball with some other carts. That was fun. I think one time we had seven people in a golf cart and we just kinda drove around. A lot of times what we have to do is go pick up golf carts from, like, the parking lot of the bar, so while doing that, we load as many people as we can onto one golf cart, drive up, try to get them.

[During] night times, when we have like two or three guys on staff and you’re kinda just hanging out … it’s just you and three guys and you have the whole golf course to yourself. And it just gets kinda fun. You really like the staff here, you really become really good friends with your staff. It isn’t just co-worker, and you really build relationships, and not only with members here, but with the staff you work with. You spend a lot of time with them.

How long have you been at the Granite Bay Golf Club?

I’ve been working here for about two-and-a-half [to] three years.

How do you like it?

I love it. [I get] a lot of connections from here, a lot of really nice customers. It’s really cool ’cause it’s not like you get new customers every day; at a private club, you deal with the same people and can develop special relationships with them, and you really get to know the people. I’ve had some people say, “Hey, once you’re done with college, I’ll give you a job.” So it’s really cool to be able to have that with people.

Describe what you do on a daily basis.

Our main objective is to take care of all the member’s golf clubs, make sure they’re clean and up if they’re gonna play; make sure we have the golf carts ready to go; make sure that they’re all clean; and then try and make sure that nothing goes out of the ordinary. If everything’s kinda calm and nothing really bad happens, then we’re doing our job. Basically, make sure everything’s set up and stocked throughout the day. Make sure that the driving range has enough balls and etc.

How’s your golf game?

I’m actually also a golfer. … So working here has definitely helped me to be able to practice and use the facilities when I can. And then, just also being around it so much helps, as well.