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67 golf carts
Ever watch an 11-year old take a golf cart out for a spin?
Solo?
I have.
The wife was approached by an acquaintance several weeks ago, on the behalf of the fellow responsible for the golf carts at the local course. He needed to have all the carts washed and cleaned before the opening day of the season. Was our youth group interested in volunteering, in exchange for a contribution?
Sounded like another one of those fund raising ideas that looks great, but inevitably turns into a lot of work. Usually for just a few people.
And I'm usually one of the few people.
But the wife promised her friend she would carry the request on to the group. It was at one of those Tuesday evening meetings when I was busy with the outfit's open houses, so I couldn't attend. But I made sure the wife knew my vote was 'no.'
The group came back with a resounding 'yes.' (Including the wife's vote.)
I asked her to take down names of all the ones who voted 'yes' so that I could make sure they showed up to work, but she "forgot."
So last Thursday after school was the day we started this project, with another session scheduled for Friday so we could get all the carts cleaned before Saturday's opening.
Didn't even know how many carts they had for us to do.
So on Thursday, how many of the eager volunteers actually showed up?
Well, there was me.
And also Mr. Volunteer and his son, and one other, one of our newest members. Just turned 11 a few weeks back. Four of us, to tackle all the golf carts we could find.
Which happened to be 67.
The cart foremen was thrilled to see us just the same, and had all the cleaning supplies we needed.
Gist of the job?
First, remove all the paraphernalia from the cart. Amazing how many golfers left their shoes in the cart baskets all winter. Along with water bottles, score cards, socks (yes, socks), coolers, sunglasses, golf balls and tees, coins, jackets, hats and stubby little pencils.
Then water down the cart with a high-pressure hose to get it wet. At this point, the hoseman went back to hose off the next cart, while the scrubbers came in with long handled, soapy brushes to rub the winter grime, dust and mud off the carts (inside and out).
Then the hoseman came back for the rinse, and a lift of the seat to blast the winter's corrosion off the batteries. A quick toweling to get the driver's seat dry, replacement of all the paraphernalia, and the cart was ready to roll out, and the next one brought forward.
The two boys figured out real quick that the fun jobs were driving the carts from the lawn to the gravel washing area, and then back to the cart garage. So the other father and I alternated being scrubber or hoseman, giving cleaning turns to the boys when they got the carts backed up in line.
So, a few thoughts from the project...
EZ-GO carts are the easiest and fastest. Few nooks and crannies, and a smooth roof. The half-dozen gas-powered carts were the biggest pain, with lots of nooks, and access to the engine compartment only by lifting the entire cart body. Not to mention all their keys were on one keyring, which the manager kept in his pocket, since he was servicing all the carts as we cleaned them.
The little plastic covers and windows that some use on their carts are a major pain. Which became simplified when the manager recommended we not bother taking the covers off, just clean the outside and blast around the inside.
Apparently he doesn't like them either.
If you've never driven one (and I hadn't), the shift knob for switching from forward to reverse on most golf cart models is on the front of the bench seat under your knees, not on the floor or the dash. Had one minor fender collision, with no damage, because a scrubber's brush accidently flipped the lever. And the parking driver found himself going in reverse as the other driver was pulling up.
The accelerator and brake pedals are the same as in automobiles. Some have a separate parking brake, which is essential when cleaning, whereas quite a few have the parking brake pedal actually being a small extension on the regular brake pedal. Push with the arch or heel of your foot to stop, then roll up with your toes to lock the brake.
Works okay, but these were quite easy to knock loose with the scrubber brushes. Got within inches of another collision when one got knocked loose and the cart decided to roll.
I was more careful after that.
The coolest cart was lavender, with a Nike swoosh on the side. Didn't run well, though. They had two antiques, reportedly from the 50s, which were heavy and boxy with no smooth curves at all, made of plated steel. They looked cool, like mini-Hummers. And yeah, they were painted a desert tannish yellow.
But the most popular to drive were the gas-powered ones, since they made noises that got louder as you drove faster.
And more power.
We didn't count the carts. But by 18:15, after two hours of washing, it was clear the four of us were going to knock off the whole job in one afternoon. Which we did, an hour later. And the manager informed us we had done all they had, which was 67 carts.
That's 22.33333 carts per hour, or 2 minutes and 41 seconds per cart.
Wow.
Or, if you're really into measuring proficiency, 5.583333 carts per man-hour.
Anyway, as the last cart was parked, just a little before sunset down there in the cottonwoods along the river, and we stored the cleaning gear, the youngest and newest member of our crew mentioned how much fun the job was, particularly driving the carts.
The manager suggested he take one out for a final spin.
Which he did, after carefully selecting his favorite, quickly disappearing around the cart garage.
We visited for a while, and the manager handed over the cash, which we thought was quite generous, and he thought was a bargain compared to the high school group he had doing this last year. And we started wondering where the 67th golf cart was.
And then we spotted it, or actually its dust cloud, in the setting rays of the sun.
Clear on the other side of the course. Hightailing it our direction.
I know he'll vote 'yes' next year.
And so will I.