Description

Lakewood Country Club is seeking an accomplished, innovative, detail-oriented, and team-focused Director of Greens & Grounds to lead one of the premier private club agronomy operations in the Mid-Atlantic.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced golf course leader to shape the future of a championship-caliber golf course while working alongside a supportive Board of Directors, an engaged Greens Committee, and an experienced executive leadership team committed to providing exceptional playing conditions and an outstanding member experience.

The successful candidate will possess a strong understanding of private club operations, golf course architecture, Mid-Atlantic turfgrass management, financial stewardship, leadership, and strategic planning. Equally important, this individual will be a visible and approachable leader who values teamwork, communication, continuous improvement, and professional excellence.

As a key member of the Club's executive leadership team, the Director of Greens & Grounds will be responsible for protecting and enhancing the Club's most valuable asset-the golf course-while consistently delivering firm, healthy, visually exceptional, and highly playable conditions that reflect Lakewood Country Club's commitment to excellence.

ABOUT LAKEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB

Located in Rockville, Maryland, Lakewood Country Club is one of the Washington metropolitan area's premier private country clubs, serving members throughout Montgomery County and the greater Washington, D.C. region.

The Club features a championship golf course redesigned by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones in 2005. The layout blends naturally with the property's rolling terrain while showcasing strategic bunkering, challenging green complexes, mature trees, and exceptional playing surfaces that test accomplished golfers yet remain enjoyable for the entire membership.

Lakewood's golf course features bentgrass greens and fairways, bermudagrass tees, approximately 60 acres of tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass rough, native areas, extensive landscaping, outstanding practice facilities, and meticulously maintained Club grounds. Successfully managing these diverse playing surfaces requires thoughtful agronomic planning and expertise in the challenging Mid-Atlantic transition-zone climate.

The Director of Greens & Grounds will play a vital role in maintaining championship-quality playing conditions while balancing long-term turf health, environmental stewardship, capital planning, financial responsibility, and the daily expectations of a highly engaged membership.

Lakewood has earned a reputation for exceptional golf course conditioning and has proudly hosted numerous local, regional, and state championship events. The Club is committed to continuous improvement through strategic planning, thoughtful investment, and a long-term vision that includes significant infrastructure enhancements, including the future replacement of its irrigation system.

Beyond golf, Lakewood Country Club offers a wide variety of dining, racquet, aquatics, social, and family-oriented amenities. The Director of Greens & Grounds serves as a key member of the executive leadership team and works collaboratively with the General Manager, Director of Golf, department heads, Greens Committee, and Board of Directors to enhance every aspect of the member experience.

LAKEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB BY THE NUMBERS

• Approximately 200 acres of Club property
• Bentgrass greens and fairways
• Bermudagrass tees
• Approximately 60 acres of maintained rough
• Annual rounds: Approximately 28,000
• More than 600 total members
• Approximately 400 golfing members
• Agronomy team: Approximately 28 or more employees during peak season
• Green-speed expectations: Approximately 11 to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter
• Greens: Bentgrass with an active Poa annua management program
• Fairways: L-93 bentgrass
• Tees: Bermudagrass
• Roughs: Tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass
• Practice-area turf: Includes Tahoma 31 and Latitude 36 bermudagrass
• Irrigation system: Rainbird, the club is actively engaged in planning a new system installation soon.
• Water source: Pond, fed by three wells and city water if needed
• Grounds operating budget: Approximately $2.4 million
• Greens Committee: Chair plus 9-12 members, meeting 8 times per year
• Starting tee times: 8am M-F, 7am Sat-Sun
• Club website: www.lakewoodcc.org

DIRECTOR OF GREENS & GROUNDS - POSITION OVERVIEW
The Director of Greens & Grounds reports directly to the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer and works closely with the Greens Committee, Board of Directors, Golf Professional staff, and the Club's executive leadership team.

The Director is responsible for the leadership, planning, management, maintenance, presentation, and long-term improvement of the golf course, practice facilities, landscaping, Club grounds, maintenance facilities, equipment fleet, irrigation infrastructure, and related environmental assets.

The Director will lead all day-to-day golf course maintenance operations while developing and executing a comprehensive agronomic plan that supports consistent playing conditions and long-term turf health.

This individual will maintain a visible and approachable presence with members and staff and will communicate clearly regarding course conditions, maintenance practices, projects, weather impacts, and long-range objectives.

The Director will also foster an educational and professional culture that develops assistants, interns, equipment technicians, spray technicians, irrigation staff, crew leaders, and future turfgrass professionals.

Direct reports include:

• 1- Golf Course Superintendent
• 2- Assistant Superintendents
• Equipment Manager
• Seasonal and full-time grounds employees

KEY ATTRIBUTES AND AREAS OF FOCUS Agronomy and Playing Conditions

• Deliver consistently healthy, firm, smooth, fast, and visually exceptional playing conditions across greens, approaches, fairways, bermudagrass tees, roughs, bunkers, and practice facilities.
• Develop separate agronomic programs for the Club's bentgrass greens and fairways and its bermudagrass tees.
• Develop a comprehensive annual agronomic plan covering fertility, plant growth regulation, disease control, moisture management, cultivation, topdressing, aerification, seeding, sod work, and turf recovery.
• Manage bentgrass greens and fairways through the challenging Mid-Atlantic summer climate.
• Promote consistent bermudagrass density, recovery, coverage, and playability across all teeing surfaces.
• Lead the control and long-term reduction of Poa annua across greens, fairways, roughs, and other affected areas.
• Manage unwanted turf species, weeds, and encroachment throughout the property.
• Maintain consistent fairway firmness through sand topdressing, cultivation, drainage improvement, and moisture management.
• Protect turf during periods of extreme heat, humidity, saturated soils, drought, traffic stress, and winter injury.
• Evaluate emerging products, technologies, equipment, turf cultivars, and maintenance practices.
• Build strong working relationships with university researchers, consultants, vendors, neighboring superintendents, and industry professionals.

Greens Management

• Produce smooth, consistent, firm, and reliable putting surfaces.
• Maintain green speeds generally within the Club's desired range of 11 to 12 feet.
• Balance mowing, rolling, grooming, topdressing, fertility, irrigation, plant growth regulation, and traffic management.
• Develop moisture-management protocols using soil-moisture meters, hand watering, weather data, satellite imagery, and field observations.
• Establish moisture thresholds that support firmness, consistency, and plant health.
• Execute scheduled venting, needle-tining, core aerification, deep cultivation, and topdressing programs.
• Monitor clipping yield, rooting, organic matter, infiltration, firmness, disease pressure, and turf recovery.
• Maintain an effective Poa annua management program while protecting desirable bentgrass populations.
• Adjust daily maintenance practices according to weather, growth rate, tournament schedules, and turf stress.

Bentgrass Fairway Management

• Maintain the Club's bentgrass fairways at a consistently high level of firmness, density, appearance, and playability.
• Continue improving fairway firmness, drainage, rooting, and surface consistency.
• Manage winter sand-topdressing programs where appropriate.
• Utilize deep-tine aerification, solid-tine cultivation, vertical mowing, topdressing, and drainage installation to improve soil performance.
• Evaluate and address localized dry spots, wet areas, compacted soils, organic matter, and inconsistent sand profiles.
• Develop fairway wetting-agent programs based on soil conditions, water quality, turf performance, and seasonal requirements.
• Maintain a proactive disease-management program for dollar spot, Pythium, brown patch, fairy ring, root diseases, anthracnose, and other regional pathogens.
• Manage Poa annua and undesirable turf populations through responsible chemical, cultural, and mechanical practices.
• Maintain consistent mowing patterns, definition, presentation, and transition areas.

Bermudagrass Tee Management

• Maintain healthy, dense, level, and visually consistent bermudagrass teeing surfaces.
• Develop fertility, mowing, cultivation, topdressing, plant growth regulation, and irrigation programs specifically for bermudagrass.
• Promote rapid recovery from divots and concentrated traffic.
• Manage winter dormancy, spring transition, and seasonal establishment.
• Monitor shade, wear, compaction, drainage, irrigation coverage, and traffic patterns.
• Maintain consistent teeing-ground firmness, alignment, presentation, and mowing definition.
• Evaluate overseeding requirements based on member expectations, winter playability, turf health, and long-term bermudagrass performance.
• Plan renovation, leveling, sprigging, sodding, or regrassing when required.
• Coordinate tee-marker placement and traffic rotation to distribute wear and maintain usable teeing space.
• Maintain clean transitions between bermudagrass tees and surrounding cool-season turf.

Rough and Native Areas

• Maintain approximately 60 acres of tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass rough.
• Improve turf density, uniformity, weed control, traffic tolerance, and visual presentation.
• Develop cultivation and overseeding programs that support long-term stand improvement.
• Manage Poa annua, bermudagrass encroachment, ryegrass, nutsedge, broadleaf weeds, and other undesirable species.
• Maintain native and naturalized areas in a manner that supports playability, environmental stewardship, pace of play, and architectural intent.
• Establish mowing lines, traffic-control strategies, and seasonal maintenance standards.
• Repair high-traffic and worn areas through cultivation, seeding, sodding, traffic management, and irrigation adjustments.
• Maintain consistent transitions between primary rough, intermediate rough, native areas, and playing surfaces.

Bunkers

• Maintain consistent bunker depth, firmness, edging, appearance, and playability.
• Develop written bunker-maintenance standards for daily preparation.
• Regularly evaluate drainage, contamination, sand depth, compaction, washouts, edging, faces, and entry points.
• Decompact bunker bottoms and high-traffic areas as needed.
• Maintain consistent raking procedures and presentation standards.
• Monitor sand distribution and return displaced material from faces and entry points.
• Develop long-term plans for bunker renovation, drainage, liners, and sand replacement.
• Train employees in proper bunker preparation and quality-control expectations.

Irrigation and Water Management

• Oversee the operation, maintenance, repair, programming, and long-term planning of the irrigation system.
• Develop efficient irrigation programs based on evapotranspiration, soil moisture, weather conditions, plant needs, and playing-condition objectives.
• Maintain accurate irrigation maps, repair records, valve information, wiring documentation, and infrastructure inventories.
• Monitor water quality and adjust agronomic programs accordingly.
• Identify and correct coverage issues, leaks, drainage failures, wet areas, dry areas, and hydraulic deficiencies.
• Train staff in hand watering, moisture-management procedures, and efficient water use.
• Prepare long-term capital recommendations for irrigation-system improvements and replacement.
• Use water responsibly while maintaining healthy turf and firm playing conditions.
• Coordinate irrigation programming with rainfall, cultivation, chemical applications, tournament preparation, and course traffic.

Drainage and Infrastructure

• Evaluate recurring wet areas and drainage concerns throughout the property.
• Use available technology, including ground-penetrating radar, mapping, soil testing, and field investigation, to diagnose subsurface problems.
• Develop practical solutions that may include drainage installation, sand capping, soil modification, grading, deep cultivation, or reconstruction.
• Maintain accurate records of installed drainage and underground infrastructure.
• Coordinate construction and renovation work with architects, contractors, engineers, and consultants.
• Protect the Club from unnecessary reconstruction costs by thoroughly diagnosing problems before recommending major capital work.
• Inspect and maintain cart paths, bridges, retaining structures, stormwater systems, maintenance roads, and other course infrastructure.
• Develop prioritized short-term and long-term infrastructure improvement plans.

Trees and Landscaping

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive tree-management plan.
• Evaluate tree health, safety, shade, root competition, airflow, architecture, and impact on turf performance.
• Coordinate pruning, removal, replacement, and long-term planting strategies.
• Maintain landscaping around the clubhouse, entrances, parking areas, pool, racquet facilities, and other member-facing spaces.
• Establish consistent seasonal-color, mulching, pruning, weed-control, and irrigation standards.
• Balance environmental stewardship with golf course playability and architectural integrity.
• Maintain accurate tree inventories and document risk assessments, removals, and replacement plans.
• Coordinate storm cleanup and emergency tree work when necessary.

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

• Maintain a visible, approachable, and professional presence with members.
• Serve as the primary agronomic resource for the General Manager, Greens Committee, Board, and membership.
• Attend and lead Greens Committee meetings in collaboration with the Committee Chair.
• Communicate clearly and tactfully regarding maintenance practices, course conditions, closures, weather impacts, aerification, projects, and long-term plans.
• Provide regular written and digital course updates.
• Use photographs, data, charts, videos, and field observations to help members understand agronomic decisions.
• Communicate proactively rather than waiting for concerns or misinformation to develop.
• Listen carefully to member feedback while protecting sound agronomic practices and long-term course quality.
• Support tournament preparation, member events, guest days, outings, and championship competitions.
• Coordinate closely with the Golf Professional staff regarding course setup, traffic, starting times, frost, rain, cart restrictions, and daily playability.
• Explain the reasoning behind maintenance decisions in a clear and relatable manner.
• Build trust through consistent communication, accessibility, transparency, and follow-through.

LEADERSHIP AND TEAM DEVELOPMENT

• Serve as a confident, organized, accountable, and supportive leader.
• Establish clear daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal expectations.
• Build a high-performing team based on preparation, communication, professionalism, pride, consistency, and mutual respect.
• Recruit, train, mentor, and retain talented employees.
• Develop assistant superintendents and crew leaders by providing meaningful responsibility and professional-development opportunities.
• Establish training programs covering safety, equipment operation, chemical handling, irrigation, mowing, course setup, bunker preparation, moisture management, and quality control.
• Conduct daily staff meetings and clearly communicate job assignments.
• Inspect completed work and provide prompt, constructive feedback.
• Create career pathways for employees interested in advancing within the turfgrass industry.
• Establish internship opportunities with turfgrass-management programs.
• Encourage participation in local and national professional associations, seminars, field days, conferences, and educational events.
• Promote a leadership philosophy based on trust, accountability, service, consistency, and verification.
• Maintain a safe, respectful, inclusive, and professional work environment.
• Recognize strong performance while addressing deficiencies directly and fairly.

CLUB MANAGEMENT TEAM

• Build a strong, collaborative, and trusted partnership with the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, serving as a key member of the Club's executive leadership team and contributing to the Club's long-term strategic vision.
• Develop an exceptional working relationship with the Director of Golf, recognizing that the two positions serve as the primary stewards of the Club's golf experience. Through daily communication, mutual trust, and collaborative planning, work together to balance championship-quality playing conditions, golf operations, tournament preparation, member satisfaction, pace of play, and the long-term health of the golf course.
• Partner closely with the Golf Professional staff, Chief Financial Officer, Membership Director, Food & Beverage leadership, Facilities staff, and other department heads to ensure seamless Club operations and an exceptional member experience.
• Actively participate in executive leadership meetings, strategic planning initiatives, and cross-departmental projects while fostering a culture of teamwork, transparency, and shared accountability.
• Coordinate agronomy operations with tournaments, member events, guest programs, weddings, pool and racquet activities, and other Club functions to ensure operational excellence throughout the property.
• Support the Club's broader goals for member satisfaction, employee engagement, financial stewardship, safety, sustainability, and the long-term protection of the Club's physical assets.
• Represent the agronomy department professionally with members, guests, vendors, industry partners, and the surrounding community while serving as a positive ambassador for Lakewood Country Club.
• Communicate operational challenges proactively, collaborate across departments to develop effective solutions, and anticipate issues before they impact the member experience.
• Embrace a "One Club" philosophy by supporting fellow departments whenever coordinated efforts are needed, recognizing that exceptional member experiences are created through teamwork and shared commitment across the entire organization.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Develop and manage the annual operating and capital budgets.
• Monitor expenses monthly and explain significant variances.
• Maintain accurate purchasing, inventory, chemical, fertilizer, fuel, labor, and equipment records.
• Plan equipment replacement based on condition, hours, repair history, operating cost, and future needs.
• Evaluate outside contracts, lease arrangements, purchasing programs, and vendor proposals.
• Prepare multi-year capital plans for irrigation, drainage, equipment, bunkers, trees, buildings, cart paths, and course improvements.
• Balance championship-level conditioning with responsible financial stewardship.
• Identify opportunities to complete projects in-house when doing so provides appropriate quality, safety, and financial value.
• Provide clear business justification for major expenditures and capital requests.
• Maintain strong internal controls over purchasing, inventory, chemical storage, and equipment use.
• Develop contingency plans for unexpected weather, equipment failure, infrastructure problems, and emergency repairs.

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

• Remain current with emerging technology in golf course maintenance.
• Evaluate autonomous mowing, GPS-guided equipment, digital job boards, spray-record systems, moisture-mapping platforms, satellite imagery, drone imagery, and asset-management tools.
• Use data to support maintenance decisions and communicate results.
• Track agronomic performance indicators such as green speed, firmness, moisture, clipping yield, labor hours, chemical use, equipment cost, irrigation use, and project progress.
• Develop digital systems for mapping and tracking drainage, irrigation, trees, stumps, projects, chemical applications, and infrastructure.
• Adopt new technology where it measurably improves quality, consistency, labor efficiency, safety, or environmental performance.
• Test new products and practices on a limited basis before implementing them throughout the property.
• Document results and adjust programs based on measurable performance.

TOURNAMENT AND EVENT PREPARATION

• Develop detailed maintenance and staffing plans for Club championships, member-guest events, outings, and other significant competitions.
• Coordinate course setup with the Golf Professional staff.
• Adjust mowing, rolling, irrigation, bunker preparation, clipping removal, and staffing according to event expectations.
• Prepare contingency plans for rain, heat, frost, equipment failure, and other weather-related challenges.
• Deliver consistent conditions throughout multi-day events.
• Maintain communication with Club leadership and golf operations before, during, and after major events.
• Evaluate event performance and document opportunities for continued improvement.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND SAFETY

• Maintain all required pesticide, fertilizer, fuel, environmental, and employee-safety records.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Develop safe chemical-storage, mixing, loading, and application procedures.
• Promote responsible water use, nutrient management, integrated pest management, and environmental protection.
• Maintain employee safety programs and conduct regular training.
• Ensure equipment is operated safely and maintained according to manufacturer standards.
• Protect streams, ponds, stormwater systems, wildlife habitats, and environmentally sensitive areas.
• Maintain emergency-response plans for spills, severe weather, injuries, and other incidents.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished Director of Greens & Grounds, Director of Agronomy, Golf Course Superintendent, or an exceptional Assistant Superintendent with a demonstrated record of providing exceptional golf course conditions at a respected private club.

The successful candidate will possess a passion for agronomic excellence, a collaborative leadership style, exceptional communication skills, sound financial judgment, and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement. Above all, this individual will embrace Lakewood Country Club's culture of teamwork, professionalism, accountability, and exceptional service to its membership.

The successful candidate should possess:

• A proven record of consistently delivering exceptional golf course conditions at a respected private club.
• Extensive experience managing bentgrass greens and fairways in a challenging Mid-Atlantic or transition-zone climate.
• Experience establishing, maintaining, and improving bermudagrass tees and other warm-season turfgrass.
• Advanced knowledge of agronomy, soil science, turfgrass physiology, pathology, entomology, weed science, and plant nutrition.
• Significant experience managing both cool-season and warm-season turfgrass under periods of extreme heat, humidity, excessive rainfall, drought stress, and disease pressure.
• The ability to consistently produce firm, fast, and visually exceptional playing conditions while protecting long-term turf health.
• Strong knowledge of Poa annua management and long-term turf improvement strategies.
• Experience with aerification, deep-tine cultivation, topdressing, drainage, sand capping, root-zone improvement, and comprehensive moisture-management programs.
• Strong understanding of irrigation programming, troubleshooting, water management, and irrigation-system maintenance.
• Experience overseeing equipment maintenance, purchasing, leasing, replacement planning, and maintenance-facility operations.
• Experience managing bunkers, native areas, tree-management programs, landscaping, and practice facilities.
• Strong golf knowledge and an understanding of how agronomic decisions affect strategy, playability, pace of play, and the overall member experience.
• Demonstrated ability to balance championship-quality playing conditions with sustainable agronomic practices, sound financial stewardship, and outstanding day-to-day member playability.
• Proven leadership experience recruiting, developing, mentoring, motivating, and retaining high-performing teams.
• Strong supervisory, planning, organizational, project-management, and time-management skills.
• Experience preparing and managing significant operating and capital budgets.
• Experience building collaborative relationships with executive leadership, golf operations, committees, Board members, and the membership while fostering trust through professionalism, transparency, and consistent communication.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, presentation, and listening skills.
• A visible, engaged, approachable, and collaborative leadership style built upon integrity, accountability, professionalism, humility, and respect.
• A proactive, detail-oriented, and solutions-oriented management style.
• A commitment to staff development, succession planning, and continuous professional growth.
• A record of increasing responsibility, professional achievement, and career progression.
• Respect for the Club's history, traditions, culture, and membership.
• An interest in golf course architecture, strategic design, and long-term course improvement.
• Spanish-language proficiency is beneficial but not required.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS

• A degree in turfgrass management, agronomy, horticulture, plant science, or a related field is required.
• Certified Golf Course Superintendent designation through the GCSAA is strongly preferred.
• Maryland pesticide certification or the ability to obtain certification is required.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment-eligibility verification documentation upon hire.