Hole-in-one insurer is charged with felony for not paying Northwest golfers

Golfers in the Pacific Northwest thought they were in for a big prize when they hit a hole-in-one during some recent golf tournaments. But the insurer, Kevin Kolenda, did not pay and as a result, legal action against Kolenda has been started.

The complaints span over a few years and started in 2003 when Kolenda illegally sold insurance for a tournament at Gold Mountain in Bremerton. He refused to pay when the golfer tried to receive payment for his $10,000 hole-in-one shot.

And the stories go on from there. In 2003, he also failed to pay a $50,000 prize that a golfer won during a tournament at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, Wash.

Most recently, Kolenda sold coverage for a $25,000 hole-in-one prize in Snohomish and failed to pay.

Kolenda has been charged with five felony counts of selling insurance without a license. In fact, in 2004 Kolenda ignored a court order which told him to cease-and-desist. Kolenda started a business called Golf Marketing in 1995 and has run into trouble throughout the country. Other states including Montana, Ohio, Georgia, California, New York, Hawaii, Alabama, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut and North Carolina all have issues with Kolenda.

He was charged with felony counts in King County last month.