George Lowe

George Lowe was born in Carmyllie, Angus, in 1856 and died in Victoria in 1934 having emigrated to Australia in 1920. His family moved to nearby Carnoustie when he was eight and, after some years caddying, he became an apprentice clubmaker with Frank Bell. He was the first person to play the 18 hole course at Carnoustie as he was the apprentice who had to make the holes when Tom Morris came to supervise the work and had the wit to bring clubs and balls with him. 

Golf history has not been as kind to Lowe, as it has been to designers such as Morris and Colt, and yet his influence on many aspects of golf's development, including golf course architecture, has been profound. Apprentice to Old Tom Morris, original course designer, innovative and successful club-maker, teacher, and associate of Harry Vardon, George Lowe was a key agent of change in the transformation of golf into a global industry.  

Looking at numerous Lowe routings now, his preference for slice-side hazards is clear. Like his contemporaries, he placed greens and tees far closer to site boundaries than most safety-conscious architects would dare today. Many tangible Lowe features such as greens, tees, and bunkers may have long since disappeared, but the essence of his slice-side routings remains at many courses today and crucially influences that most intangible of all features, course 'character'. 

Website: https://www.eigca.org/Articles/11147/George-Lowe-the-great-southern-adventure