PGA HOPE is a year-round golf program for all military Veterans, designed to enhance their rehabilitation and assimilation back into society. TheHOPE programprovides aworking partnership with physical therapists, introduces the participant to golf instruction, playing opportunities, as well as social events. The goal is to use golf as an activity to assist veterans with their progress in rehab, along with helping them to assimilate and mainstream into their local communities and family life. ForVeterans and PGA Professionals alike, teaching and learning golf goes way beyond the game itself. It’s a way to mentally unwind, to compete, to get outside, to feel accomplished, and to make lasting friendships. For Veterans, golf is a way to re-enter society, after fearlessly serving our country. Nationwide, there are 162 PGA HOPE programs with 38 participating PGA Sections. Five years ago, the HOPE program was started in Indiana with theVA Domiciliary. The experience has been life changing -- not only for Veterans, but arguably more so for PGA Professionals in Indiana. Stacey Dorman, Director of Player Development at Indiana Golf, is the lead PGA Professional with the HOPE program in Indiana and oversees 17 programs in Indianapolis. “It has been an absolute honor to be a part of this program,” said Dorman. “I love that we can use golf as a tool to help Veterans connect with one another and help them with their rehabilitation and assimilation back into society. The experience for me, personally, has also been priceless.” Scott Barla, Plum Creek Golf Club’s Director of Instruction, echoed those thoughts. “The program is transformative for the Veterans, but also for the PGA Professionals,” said Barla. It brings veterans back together and it helps me learn new ways to cope with my injuries,” said Russell Carney, U.S. Army Veteran. “I’m able to be a lot more open and honest about things than I used to be. I love getting outside and doing things I used to do before I joined the Army. When you spend a day with the instructors learning golf, you leave feeling more positive. And you take that positivity with you everywhere you go, added Bill Caywood, U.S. Army Veteran.
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