Randy Allen, CGCS, a long time champion of professional advancement for golf course superintendents, has won the Carolinas GCSA Distinguished Service Award.

Allen is director of golf course operations for The Burroughs and Chapin Co., which owns five golf courses and manages three others in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area.

"Randy is one of the most influential leaders in the business of golf course maintenance in the Carolinas. And he has been for decades," said Chuck Borman, Carolinas GCSA executive director. "He has done as much, if not more, than anyone in this region to change the way the public and the golf industry see the role of golf course superintendents. Superintendents were thought of as grass growers when Randy began his career. Now they are recognized as professionals responsible for the facility's single-most valuable asset."

He led the association as president in 1989 and continues to contribute through the association's committee of past presidents. He established a national reputation as a successful four-time superintendent host of the PGA Senior Tour's Tour Championship while at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach.

Throughout his career Allen has worked to bring public and industry perception of golf course superintendents in line with changes within the profession. He instigated a Superintendent Image Campaign in the ‘80s that continues in the Carolinas today. The campaign strives to improve awareness, understanding and appreciation of the role golf course superintendents play in what is an industry that contributes $2.3 billion to the South Carolina economy each year.

Allen will receive his award during the Carolinas GCSA annual Conference and Trade Show in Myrtle Beach in November.