For over ten years, South County veterans and active duty military members have been able to share camaraderie and learn new skills at PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), a veteran golf program run by the non-profit arm of the PGA of America.
The goal of the six-week beginner golf program is to use the game of golf as a physical, emotional and social therapeutic tool for individuals dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities upon returning from service. It is entirely free to participate in.
“You hear from a lot of these veterans that they don’t get the recognition. They come back from their time in service and people don’t understand what they’ve been through, what they’ve experienced. Here at the PGA HOPE, we understand,” Tyler Bealke, PGA REACH – the charitable foundation of the PGA – Gateway Programs Coordinator, said. “We like to say that golf’s the reason people show up, but the reason they keep coming back is that they get to interact with folks that have shared similar experiences.”
Though the now-national program spans across the 50 states in over 500 locations, it began in South County at the Jefferson Barracks VA in 2013.
“PGA of America, PGA REACH nationally took on the program, and now it’s all over the place,” Bealke said. “There were other sections that were in other parts of the country that were doing similar things, but didn’t have the PGA HOPE name. I think it was around 2018 when it grabbed the name ‘PGA HOPE.’”
To ensure adequate and understanding instruction, the program is taught by PGA of America Professionals who are Adaptive Golf Certified, meaning they have attended training that gives them skills to teach individuals with both physical and intellectual disabilities.
“I just really loved what the program was doing and what it stood for, and wanted to get involved,” Zane Roberts, player development professional at Algonquin Golf Club and PGA HOPE instructor, said. “I also have a lineage of military in my family. My dad served 40 years total. My grandfather served in the Navy. The older I get and the more experience I’ve had, I realize how impactful this can be and how important it is for these veterans to have an opportunity to express themselves. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Veterans who have participated in PGA HOPE themselves have also joined the program’s staff to help recruit participants and spread the word.
“In 2018, I had never picked up a golf club before. I was rehabbing my knee in 2017, and this guy walks in and goes, ‘Who would like to learn how to play golf? And if you do, you get to work the PGA Championship,’” PGA REACH Gateway Section Military and Veteran Liason Bob Rosner said. “Getting out there and playing, I found it very relaxing. It helps me with my PTSD and helps me just get out there and relax and enjoy about three hours worth of golf with other veterans.”
For courses in the area wanting to start their own PGA HOPE program, contact Bealke at tbealke@pgahq.com.
“We’ll work hand in hand and we’ll get one started. Simple as that,” Bealke said.
“We do have professionals who are willing to go ahead and do programs at areas other than their own specific course. It’s a win-win for everybody,” Rosner added.
Additionally, community members can donate golf clubs to the program for veterans to use and keep. Twenty-four sets have been given out this year in the Gateway Section alone.
“Seeing these folks find a game that they love is life-changing. The phrase we like to use is ‘moment in time.’ If you can give somebody their moment in time where it’s just them in a peaceful state, focusing on something and not worrying about anything else, that’s precious. We just search for those ‘moments in time’ here at PGA HOPE,” Bealke said.
Most PGA HOPE programs wrap up after six weeks, though through a partnership with the Forces on the Fairway, a free veteran golf league run by the Palozola Foundation, participants of the Tower Tee program often continue.
“We’re going to have probably about 250 veterans this summer in our leagues. We’re at eight locations throughout St. Louis. We’ve got summer leagues, winter leagues (and) we’re also starting up pickleball this fall,” Maria Palozola, founder of the Palozola Foundation, said.
Participants of the free veteran golf league are able to play 16 weeks of golf, with a bi-state tournament against the league in Illinois to close out each session.
“The number of (veterans) that have come up with tears in their eyes, a handful that have said, ‘You saved my life’ – I mean, I never saw that coming,” Palozola said. “That’s the whole reason we’re here.”
