Doug Lowe: The Work Behind Two Greensboro Courses

Doug Lowe started working at a golf course when he was 13. He learned from both the head golf professional and the superintendent at Jamestown Park Golf Course in North Carolina.

Today, he oversees golf and grounds maintenance at Greensboro Country Club, where he has worked since May 2000. His operation covers two courses: Irving Park, a Donald Ross design, and the Farm, which was redesigned by Donald Steel. Each property has its own clubhouse and recreational facilities. Members own the club.

Lowe, a Certified Golf Course Superintendent, also writes maintenance updates for members. Those reports cover the work golfers might expect—mowing, aerification and watering—along with the problems that can change a crew’s plans before the day gets going.

Starting Close to Home

A High Point native, Lowe developed an interest in golf through his father, an avid player. His job at Jamestown Park gave him an early look at the work behind the game.

He spent his college summers working at Cardinal Country Club and High Point Country Club. In 1988, he graduated from North Carolina State University with bachelor’s degrees in agronomy, concentrating in turfgrass management, and horticulture, concentrating in woody ornamentals.

His first professional position took him to James River Country Club in Newport News, Virginia, as an assistant superintendent. In 1990, he became superintendent at The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. He worked under director of golf course maintenance George Thompson, CGCS, overseeing the Dogwood and Cardinal courses.

Lowe moved to Treyburn Country Club in Durham in 1994. Six years later, he joined Greensboro.

At Treyburn, he hired Brian Green for his first job as an assistant superintendent. Green, now director of golf course operations at NC State’s Lonnie Poole Golf Course, later credited Lowe as a mentor when he became Carolinas GCSA president.

When the Work Piles Up

Lowe’s September maintenance reports show what his Greensboro crew faced as summer gave way to fall.

At the Farm, a fitting on a new fairway mower worked loose. The machine left a thin trail of hydraulic fluid across two and a half fairways before another employee spotted it and flagged down the operator. The leak was too faint to see from the driver’s seat.

A separate leak developed on a sprayer at Irving Park. Because the operator was moving between areas to spot-spray, he had fewer opportunities to notice what was happening behind him.

The Farm’s ultradwarf bermudagrass greens needed attention, too. When symptoms of take-all root rot returned, Lowe changed the aerification plan. He added small coring tines to the solid tines, then applied a fungicide and watered it into the soil.

Meanwhile, the Irving Park crew was still cleaning up after two storms three weeks apart. Fallen trees, limbs and debris had added hours of work just as the staff needed to turn its attention to tournament preparation.

Lowe explained each problem in his September 9 update. He described how the leaks happened, why the Farm greens needed treatment and how storm cleanup was affecting the schedule.

Telling Members What Happened

Eight days later, he had another difficult report to deliver.

The bentgrass greens had held up through most of the summer. Then September brought another stretch of heat and heavy rain. Lowe reported yellowing and thinning after the hot, saturated conditions left the greens short of oxygen.

With the member-guest approaching, he told members the greens weren’t where he and his crew wanted them.

He explained that cooler days and nights were needed to lower soil temperatures and encourage new root growth. Until then, golfers could help by repairing ball marks carefully, avoiding sharp turns in their cleats and keeping their feet from dragging across weakened turf.

The message gave members an explanation for what they were seeing and specific ways to help. It also acknowledged the crew’s disappointment after working through the summer to prepare for the event.

That willingness to explain the trouble is a useful part of Lowe’s reports. Members hear about the work when conditions are difficult, including what the staff can address immediately and what will take more time.

Back on the Board

Lowe has also stayed involved with the Carolinas GCSA. He served as its president in 2012 and was elected back to the board in November 2025, filling the seat reserved for a past president. The association’s current directory lists him among its board members.

At that same meeting, Green was elected president. Years after Lowe hired him as an assistant at Treyburn, the two were serving together on the association’s board.