A possible new tradition was unveiled at the recent 115th Massachusetts Amateur Championship at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea July 10-14.
A pair of custom-made shoes! Yes, one-of-a-kind kicks – as in Vans and Chuck Taylors.
Mass Golf Director of Marketing and Communications Stephen Hanjack said the organization was looking for a fun way to honor the iconic course. And boy did Western Massachusetts artist Jesse Morgan deliver.
Morgan, who has competed in numerous Mass Golf events, got into a conversation with the organization’s then-president Tom Berkel a couple of years ago while waiting to start a round. He had just founded Jesse Morgan Design, a “one-man show” creating original, hand-painted murals, paintings, signs and shoes.
Morgan slipped his business card to Berkel, who commissioned a painting depicting six scenes of iconic holes from “across the pond.” Berkel mentioned it to Hanjack.
“Stephen reached out to me and asked me to create a pair of shoes for both Ams, the Mass Amateur at Essex and the Women’s Amateur at Dedham,” Morgan said.
The shoes Morgan designed for Essex depict the view from the 18th tee looking toward the clubhouse. The shoes sport the Mass Golf and Essex logos and the name and dates of the tournament on the back. When placed together, the shoes combine to create a panoramic tee-to-green view.
He markets them under the label JJM4 custom shoes.
“Jesse has an incredible eye and vision and creates a nice balance between the old tradition and new age scheme,” Mass Golf Executive Director/CEO Jesse Menachem said.
Hanjack said the Essex shoes were raffled off and raised approximately $450, which was donated to the Mass Golf Youth Fund. The Dedham shoes were used to create more awareness and interest in the Woman’s Amateur through a social media campaign.
“We wanted to support a local golf artist – which I must say, I didn’t know was a thing – who also happens to be a Mass Golf member and regular in our events,” he said. “We used this collaboration to create a segment within our TV show, to help share an interesting golf story from our state. And we also knew it would be a fun way to honor/highlight the historic courses we visited.”
Morgan said he is a “longtime doodler” who started painting on canvas in high school, At Lafayette College, he changed his major from economics to art, a decision he
described as “a parent’s worst nightmare.”
He designed his first shoes in 2016 as gifts for the groomsmen in his wedding. Each pair was personalized and unique to each individual.
“They started wearing them around and people started noticing them,” Morgan said. “It just caught on. It’s art to be sure but with a functional design. They turned into walking billboards.”
Morgan’s Vans shoes cost about $300. He’s painted everything under the sun – and sea – and TV. From mermaids and bass fishing to the Masters and Pebble Beach, to super heroes, Sesame Street, Fenway Park and “F Troop “( if you don’t know what that is, look it up), Morgan said it was an honor to design the shoes for Mass Golf.
“We have so many courses that are just oozing with history,” Morgan said. “To the extent that these shoes help tell the story of Essex, it was very rewarding. I’m glad my original art was used for a charitable cause, and although I couldn’t be there as a competitor this year, it was nice to be involved in such a storied event in this way. “
For more information about Jesse Morgan Design or to order your own personalized pair of JJM4 shoes, visit https://www.jjm4design.com/.
