Wheaton Golfer Launches 'Hundred Hole Hike' for Charity

One Divot—a charity founded by Wheaton resident and 2011 Walking Golfer of the Year, Jim Colton—announces the launch of Hundred Hole Hike (HHH), a giving platform hosted at www.hundredholehike.com that supports fund raising efforts of “golf marathoners,” who will play and walk at least 100 holes in one day to benefit philanthropic causes.

Managed by One Divot, HHH is inspired by the success of the Ben Cox 155. Launched in 2011 at Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club in Holyoke, CO, when club member Jim Colton walked 155 holes in one day and raise more than $110,000 for Cox, a Ballyneal caddie paralyzed in a skiing accident.

A society of dedicated men and women seeking to use their passion for the game as a vehicle to better the lives of others, HHH allows for each hiker to choose their own causes to support. Among the roster of industry leaders to register are Rob Rigg of TRUE linkswear and John Ashworth of LINKSOUL. Also participating are renowned venues such as Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club, The Kingsley Club and Hidden Creek Golf Club.

Hundred Hole Hike now has 30 golfers signed up for events in 12 states, supporting more than 20 causes, Colton said. The closest event to Wheaton is at Flossmoor Country Club. There are still opportunities to start up a new event and get involved.

“This all began last year as something very personal to me – raising funds for the care of Ben Cox, a caddie and friend seriously injured in a skiing accident,” says Colton. “With the support of walking golfers worldwide, Hundred Hole Hike is now positioned to positively impact countless lives.”

A Ballyneal member, Colton’s original goal was to walk 108 holes and raise $5,000 to benefit Cox. On June 23, 2011, he walked 155 holes and raised more than $110,000. Soon after, he set about forming One Divot and creating a method for like-minded golfers to raise awareness and money for the charities about which they care most deeply.

More than just a robust and centralized venue for pledge collection, www.hundredholehike.com is designed to be a daily web destination for avid walking golfers. It will include personalized blogs where HHH participants share updates on training, engage in friendly competition with other hikers and post items pertinent to those who embrace the game’s traditions and philanthropic heritage.

“I’m super excited about making my own Hundred Hole Hike,” says Ashworth. “It’s a cool and innovative way to support the broader community through golf, and also to challenge your own body and mind while having some fun, too.”

Hundred Hole Hike is a global network of golf marathons where participants plan to walk and play 100 or more holes in one day to raise money for charitable causes. It includes events at many courses ranked among the Top 100 by leading golf publications.

The goal of the Hundred Hole Hike is to take the same passion and energy that fueled the Ben Cox 155 to a grander scale. Instead of one golfer at one club for one cause, the HHH includes golfers at clubs worldwide, all walking to raise money for a variety of worthwhile causes.

Information courtesy of a press release