Howell Park Country Club

When I was in college, I worked summers, weekends, and some afternoons at the public golf course system in Baton Rouge. One of the courses I worked at was Howell Park Golf Course. Each day, the same group of golfers came through to play their daily round. Afterwards they would all sit around the clubhouse chit chatting. I’d sit behind the counter, joining in the conversation from across the room while drinking a Coca-Cola out of a mini paper cup.

I learned a few things things while working at Howell Park Country Club:

• A hard quarter is an actual quarter, as opposed to 25 cents made up of other monetary amounts
• Howell Park Golf Course was referred to as the Country Club by the patrons, all who lived through the civil rights era and weren’t allowed to join private golf clubs back in their younger days.
• A public golf course pro shop, similar to a firehouse, is the place where neighborhood mental patients like to visit when they are out of the hospital.
• It is entirely appropriate to continue your golf game even if there is a hostage situation going on across the fence.
• Collecting lost golf balls from Hurricane Creek can be a lucrative side business.
• Mr. Johnny, a regular, was really blues musician Johnny Adams.

Mr. Johnny had the shiniest shoes that would catch the sun and burn my retina as he stepped out of his Cadillac each morning. He was leaning out of his Caddy early one morning, changing into his golf shoes and said to me, “You got to follow your dreams, Girl. You are going to be famous one day. I can’t explain this. I just know it.”

That was the last time I ever saw Mr. Johnny.

When I was in college, I worked summers, weekends, and some afternoons at the public golf course system in Baton Rouge. One of the courses I worked at was Howell Park Golf Course. Each day, the same group of golfers came through to play their daily round. Afterwards they would all sit around the clubhouse chit chatting. I’d sit behind the counter, joining in the conversation from across the room while drinking a Coca-Cola out of a mini paper cup.

I learned a few things things while working at Howell Park Country Club:

• A hard quarter is an actual quarter, as opposed to 25 cents made up of other monetary amounts
• Howell Park Golf Course was referred to as the Country Club by the patrons, all who lived through the civil rights era and weren’t allowed to join private golf clubs back in their younger days.
• Public golf courses, similar to a firehouse, is the place where mental patients like to visit when they are out of the hospital.
• It is entirely appropriate to continue your golf game even if there is a hostage situation going on across the fence.
• Collecting lost golf balls from Hurricane Creek can be a lucrative side business.
• Mr. Johnny, a regular, was really blues musician Johnny Adams.

Mr. Johnny had the shiniest shoes that would catch the sun and burn my retina as he stepped out of his Cadillac each morning. He was leaning out of his Caddy early one morning, changing into his golf shoes and said to me, “You got to follow your dreams, Girl. You are going to be famous one day. I can’t explain this. I just know it.”

That was the last time I ever saw Mr. Johnny.