Jim Colton honored as the 2011 Walking Golfer of the Year
Award sponsored by The MacKenzie Golf Bag Company
Portland, OR (November 14, 2011) – Jim Colton has received the “2011 Walking Golfer of the Year” award for his passionate commitment to the walking game of golf. Members of The Walking Golfers Society chose Jim Colton unanimously after he walked 155 holes at Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club on June 22nd in order to raise over $110,000 for injured caddie Ben Cox and his family.
“Jim Colton is an inspiration to us all. He turned his passion for walking Ballyneal into a mission to help a caddie who was seriously injured in a ski accident. Walking 155 holes in a single day is an incredible accomplishment that Jim hopes to surpass in 2012,” said Rob Rigg, founder of The Walking Golfers Society. “We are honored that Jim has accepted the award for the 2011 Walking Golfer of the Year and look forward to assisting Jim in promoting his future charitable endeavors that will be tied to walking when you golf.”
“I’m just a guy who really loves the game of golf and discovered a way to use that passion to impact one family’s life for the better,” said Colton after receiving the award. “That, in and of itself, has been prize enough. To win the 2011 Walking Golfer of the Year is the icing on the cake to an unforgettable year. Thank you to The Walking Golfers Society for this tremendous honor.”
In 2012, Mr. Colton, who resides in Chicago, IL and is the author of the popular golf blog, wegoblogger31.com, plans to launch a charitable organization called “One Divot” that aims to “help change the world for the better one divot at a time.” The cornerstone event for the new charity will be the Hundred Hole Hike, in which golfers around the world will aim to play at least 100 holes on the same day to raise money for local charities.
Mr. Colton is the first individual to win “The Walking Golfer of the Year.” In 2009, the award was presented to Mike Keiser on behalf of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and in 2010 the award went to The Evans Scholars Foundation sponsored by the Western Golf Association.
A leather plaque, created by Oregon craftsman Larry Eisenbach of Raygun Digital Artistry, and a MacKenzie Walker leather golf bag, crafted by The MacKenzie Golf Bag Company, were presented to Jim Colton at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort of October 30th. Rigg, who also is president of TRUE linkswear, and Todd Rohrer, president of The MacKenzie Golf Bag Company, represented The Walking Golfers Society and presented the awards to Colton.
The Walking Golfers Society was founded in early 2009, along with TheWalkingGolfer.com, to promote the many benefits of walking when you golf. The Society has over 750 members across the U.S. and around the world. There is no membership fee to join The Walking Golfers Society, just a passion for enjoying golf as a walking game. For more information, please visit www.thewalkinggolfer.com.
TRUE linkswear is an innovative golf footwear company that recently introduced a “barefoot” golf shoe that is comfortable, lightweight and worn on the PGA Tour by Ryan Moore. More information can be found at www.truelinkswear.com.
The MacKenzie Golf Bag Company was founded in 1985. Its leather golf bags are carried by thousands of passionate walking golfers around the world and each one is constructed by hand at a shop in Portland, Ore. More information can be found at www.themackenziegolfbagcompany.com.
Contacts:
Rob Rigg
The Walking Golfers Society
rob.rigg@thewalkinggolfer.com
Todd Rohrer
MacKenzie Golf Bags
todd@themackenziegolfbagcompany.com
Couldn’t agree more with the selection and couldn’t be more proud of Jim Colton for his efforts on behalf of charity and tradition.