Scott Allen converting to Quakerdom–sort of
August 22, 2008
Scott Allen has a pair of very proud parents.
The long-time head golf coach for George Washington University, who has brought college golf to the Cape Region for the last several years, has been named as the Director of Golf for the University of Pennsylvania.
Ron and Sue Allen, Scott’s parents, live at Kings Creek Country Club, and are members of Kings Creek. Using that connection, Scott worked out a way to hold an early fall college golf tournament at the course, despite the fact that Division I golf teams are not exactly swarming all over the Cape Region.
The tournament usually brought a dozen or more teams from a wide variety of mid-Atlantic and Northeast conferences together for a one-day, 36-hole contest. Over the years, dozens of Kings Creek volunteers have joined the Allens and the Kings Creek staff in running the event.
The initial success of the fall tournament led to the creation of a spring edition, now held at the Bear Trap Dunes course near Ocean View.
Kevin Wiest, the head golf pro at Kings Creek, confirmed that this year’s GW tournament is still scheduled for September 15. The teams will play a practice round on Sunday, September 14, and play for keeps the next day.
According to Ron Allen, Scott volunteered to help GW run this year’s tournament, and will bring his new Quaker squad down to Rehoboth to play.
Compared to other Division I conferences, the Ivy League severely limits the number of competition days available to their golf teams. I recall discussing this limitation with the coach from Columbia University during one of the GW tournaments.
He said they can only play fourteen days throughout the year, and that’s why they so appreciated the opportunity to come to Rehoboth for the GW Invitational. For other tournaments, play is stretched over two days, which puts a severe crimp in Ivy golf event planning.
Allen will not only have that to contend with in his new position. In addition to being the head coach of the Penn men’s golf team, he will also oversee the direction of the Penn women’s golf squad. He also serves as an Assistant to Penn’s Senior Associate Athletics Director.
In the press release announcing his selection, Allen said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the golf programs at one of the finest academic institutions in the country. I am excited about working with student-athletes at Penn, and I am confident that both teams have the talent to be very successful in the Ivy League.”
Allen was himself a standout golfer for GW during his college days. He graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, with minors in history and economics. Since then, he earned his Class A PGA Membership status, and has been an active golf teacher in the Washington area.
Allen also served as Executive Director of the First Tee program in Washington, which gave more than 1,500 kids lessons in golf and life skills during their 2007 sessions at East Potomac Park Golf Course and the Langston Golf Course.
Allen also committed to helping GW in the search for his successor, as the fall season is just about to start.
It remains to be seen if GW will continue its connection to Cape Region golf with its invitational tournaments. According to Ron Allen, if the school decides to end the relationship, Scott will be ready and able to have the University of Pennsylvania assume that role.
If you have a chance to arrange your schedule, find your way to Kings Creek on September 15 to see these college golfers in action. They play a very different game than most of the amateurs in the Cape Region, with their emphasis on the long ball.
It is interesting to watch how these players react to the challenge of hitting effective shots on Kings Creek, a taut, tree-lined target course. Their coaches have often told me that most of their college tournaments take place on wide-open layouts. They welcome the opportunity to test their players’ shot-making and course management skills.