Veterans bond and heal through golf

On a sunny morning at Cougar Point Golf Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, a group of Veterans line up on the driving range, golf clubs in hand. Some are beginners, others more experienced, but all share a common purpose: finding healing and connection through the game of golf.

Many of these Veterans have been referred to this program by the Ralph H. Johnson VA in Charleston, which recognizes the therapeutic benefits of golf for its patients.

This is PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), a program that’s changing lives one swing at a time and has found a strong partner in Ralph H. Johnson VA.

PGA HOPE, the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America, introduces golf to Veterans and active-duty military personnel as a form of therapy. The program aims to enhance participants’ physical, mental, social and emotional well-being through a six- to eight-week curriculum led by PGA professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency.