Volunteer PGA Professionals Bringing “HOPE” to Disabled Veterans in Myrtle Beach
Twenty-one military veterans, currently living with disabilities or physical limitations sustained while in service to their country, are now benefiting from the first in a series of six-week training sessions launched recently in Myrtle Beach as part of the newest PGA HOPE Program.
PGA HOPE Myrtle Beach is the culmination of a collaborative effort between the PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation (the philanthropic arm of the Carolinas PGA Section) and Project Golf Myrtle Beach, which provides access, instruction and rehabilitation services to disabled veterans as part of its mission of advocating the virtues of golf and providing an introduction to the game, instruction, and improved access for all golfers seeking to become involved with the sport.
PGA HOPE is an acronym for “Helping Our Patriots Everywhere,” with PGA HOPE Carolinas conducting an adaptive golf program that serves as a rehabilitation tool for improving veterans’ quality of life by enhancing their mental, social, physical, and emotional well-being. PGA HOPE Myrtle Beach becomes the Carolinas PGA Section’s 13th chapter installment of this initiative, offered at no cost to our veterans thanks to the volunteer support of local PGA Professionals and the Coastal Carolina University Men’s Golf Team.
PGA HOPE Myrtle Beach conducts weekly sessions at Project Golf Myrtle Beach’s new headquarters at Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., which offers full-service golf training amenities including covered hitting bays, a full outdoor driving range, practice green for chipping and putting, and adaptive equipment that allows those with physical disabilities to maximize access to playing the game.
Gary Schaal, past president of both the PGA of America and Carolinas PGA Section, serves as PGA HOPE Lead Professional for PGA HOPE Myrtle Beach. Gary and his team of volunteer instructors will wrap up the first of the chapter’s training sessions in late October.
