John Golden was captain of the golf team for both his junior and senior year and maintained the lowest stroke average on the team. While still a junior at Spring Hill, Golden qualified and made the cut in the Sertoma Open PGA Tournament in Mobile. He served as president of his class all four years and graduated 2nd Lieutenant  in the US Army as a member of the ROTC on campus. He received the Matt Rice Award at graduation for outstanding contributions to Spring Hill College. After graduation, Golden continued to achieve several distinctions in golf. In both 1993 and 1995, John was named Colorado Golf Association's Senior Amateur Player of the Year.