Dana Rene Bowler / Star staff Bob Lowe, 77, just elected president of the Southern California Golf Association, stands near the 10th hole at the Saticoy Country Club.

Bob Lowe has carried plenty of monikers during his 77 years of life, including teacher, coach, husband and father.

Recently, the longtime Saticoy Country Club member added president to that list.

Lowe was recently elected as the 83rd president of the Southern California Golf Association.

The SCGA provides services to more than 1,250 member clubs and more than 160,000 individual members, so Lowe is humbled by being asked to oversee its operation.

"I'm honored," Lowe said. "It's an organization I am proud to be part of and I'm really looking forward to the next year."

Lowe started his tenure with the SCGA in 1994, joining the group's rules committee.

Getting involved was nothing new to Lowe, who spent most of his life helping others as a high school English teacher and coach in Whittier.

In 1996, then-SCGA executive director Tom Morgan asked Lowe if he would like to be on the Board of Directors.

"I had no aspirations (of being president)," Lowe said. "Being on the board is a five-year term, and usually after that you're asked if you want to stay on or bail out.

"I assumed after five years I would be gone, but Tom Morgan told me I think you should stay on.' Whatever Morgan asked I was happy to do, because I had such great affection for the man and respected him so much.''

Lowe climbed the organization ladder, starting as treasurer. Last year he served as vice president, knowing that the following year the ship would be his to guide.

Now that the time is here, Lowe is looking forward to a big year, highlighted by Saticoy hosting the SCGA Amateur Championship July 18-20, which is the second oldest amateur golf event in the country.

The 2008 edition is the 108th year of the event, and it's never been held in Ventura County. The tournament is played at the SCGA president's home course, so Lowe is the conduit for having such a prestigious event held at Saticoy.

"I am so thrilled to be able to show everyone what a tremendous club and golf course we have here at Saticoy," Lowe said.

When asked about his duties as president, Lowe joked about being a figurehead.

"We have a great staff; it's my job to stay out of their way and let them do what they do so well," Lowe said.

One of those staff members, Bob Thomas, the senior director of communications, said the staff's job is to carry out the policy set by the board.

The board and staff are undergoing a detailed and comprehensive strategic planning process, trying to imagine what their association will look like 5-10 years down the road.

"So one of Bob's jobs, in chairing board and executive committee meetings, is to keep us on track during that process, which can be challenging," Thomas said.

"Bob is well-liked. He's a big staff supporter and, like the rest of the board, lets us do our job to the best of our ability. He's a fun guy to be around. He has a passion for amateur golf, which makes him a pleasure to work with."

The decision to get involved with the SCGA also set the wheels in motion for Lowe to get into a new business — providing scoreboards at golf tournaments.

While working at an SCGA event in Valencia in 1995, Lowe was asked if he could print the names of competitors on the scoreboard.

They were so impressed that he was drafted to handle the calligraphy duties for all SCGA tournaments.

He moved up to the professional ranks in March of 1996, when he volunteered to do the scoreboard for the FHP Senior Classic at the Ojai Valley Inn.

Officials with the Champions Tour were so impressed they asked him if he was interested in doing the scoreboard for the Senior Kaanapali Classic in Maui later that year.

Jumping at the chance to get a paid trip to Hawaii, Lowe accepted.

From that point on the business has grown steadily. Lowe is now a fixture on the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Nationwide tours, providing scoreboards for those events.

His work even drew a compliment from the world's top golfer.

A few years ago at the Target World Challenge at Sherwood, Tiger Woods was walking past the scoreboard in the media center.

"He stopped and said nice board' and then kept walking," Lowe said. "I was amazed that he noticed and actually stopped and said something."

One of the most challenging events is the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, because the tournament is played on four different courses and includes a large group of amateur teams.

Lowe recalled the shock of realizing just how big a job it was when they walked in to do their first Hope in 1998.

"Toots (his wife Marlene) and I walked in and saw this 96-foot long scoreboard stretching from one end of the press room to the other," Lowe said. "The gal who runs the media room asked us where the rest of our crew was and we told her it was just us," Lowe said. "We thought maybe we got ourselves in over our heads.

"But that night we mapped out a battle plan and called on some extra people to work and it worked out fine."

Lowe is cutting back on his scoreboard duties, so he can focus on his presidential duties.

"I'm looking forward to the whole year, but especially us (Saticoy) hosting the SCGA Amateur Championship. That's going to be a lot of fun."