This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first bobblehead featuring PGA Tour Courage Award Winner D.J. Gregory, who has raised more than $1 million for his Walking For Kids Foundation. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will be donating $5 from every bobblehead sold to the Walking For Kids Foundation. The special edition bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with D.J.
The smiling D.J. Gregory bobblehead is holding a cane in his left hand while walking the course. Each bobblehead will be individually numbered, and they are available exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in January, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
Born 10 weeks premature with cerebral palsy, doctors told D.J.’s parents that their son would never walk. After battling through multiple surgeries, a determined Gregory willed himself to walk – first with a walker, then with two canes, and now, with just one. At the age of 12, Gregory fell in love with the game of golf and the rest, you could say, is history. Since 2008, Gregory has been a fixture at PGA Tour events, attending between 45 and 48 tournaments each year. After picking a player, he walks all four rounds with him. If that player misses the cut, he picks another player for the final two rounds. In the last 15 years, Gregory has walked more than 42,000 holes. Along the way, he has raised more than $1 million for his Walking For Kids Foundation, which allows PGA Tour players and golf fans an opportunity to donate to children’s charities.
On February 8th, 2022, Gregory received the PGA Tour Courage Award during a surprise ceremony at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. The award is presented to a person who has overcome personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness to make a meaningful contribution to the game. Gregory became the first non-member of the PGA Tour to receive the award, which was introduced in 2012. During the award ceremony, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that the Tour would make a $25,000 donation to Walking For Kids. Waste Management then followed suit as did Jon Rahm, who was the No. 1 player in the world at the time. “He’s an inspiration to a lot of people,” Rahm said. “He was not dealt the best hand in his life, and he made something wonderful out of it and the fact that he goes out there and walks as much as he does with the difficulty he has to walk, it’s very, very impressive. He’s captured a lot of hearts of us players – definitely mine.”
When asked about being honored with a bobblehead, D.J. said, “When I was first told about bobblehead idea, I was little surprised and thought it was a joke. On a serious note though, I think this is a true honor and I am excited and proud to have my own bobblehead. I think it’s really cool! I appreciate being acknowledged for what I do for The Kids in a unique way.”
“We are thrilled to be releasing this bobblehead celebrating D.J. Gregory and helping to raise funds for the Walking For Kids Foundation,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “A familiar face walking the courses at so many tour events, D.J.’s determination and perseverance is unmatched, as is the impact he has made through his Walking For Kids Foundation. We think golf fans and anyone who knows D.J.’s story will love this bobblehead.”