PGA HOPE Program Introduces Golf to Veterans with Disabilities to Enhance their Physical, Mental, Social and Emotional Well-Being; Led by PGA Professionals, PGA HOPE Helps Veterans Assimilate Back into Their Communities Through the Social Interaction the Game of Golf Provides
Stafford, Va. – The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America (MAPGA) has Announced its 2024 PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) Golf Program schedule, featuring over 60 events across 28 golf facilities throughout the region, including DC, Maryland and Virginia, that will connect the game with over 1,100 military Veterans.
PGA HOPE, the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America, is a national program that introduces golf to Veterans and active-duty military to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being through a six- to eight-week developmental curriculum taught by PGA of America Golf Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. It is the only adaptive golf program that has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Veterans Affairs, which enables medical staff to refer Veterans to PGA HOPE as a form of therapy. All programs are funded by PGA REACH and supplemented by PGA of America Section foundations, with no cost to all Veterans.
PGA HOPE is currently being offered at more than 350 locations in the U.S., across 46 States and 40 PGA of America Sections. In 2023, the program positively impacted 7,500 Veterans; the 2024 goal is 11,000 Veterans served. Today, more than 2,500 PGA of America Golf Professionals have received specialized training in using adaptive equipment and instructing Veterans.
“We are very proud of the continued growth and impact PGA HOPE has made throughout the Middle Atlantic region, as it’s a unique program that uses golf to change lives, and in some instances, save the lives of our Veterans,” said Jon Guhl, Executive Director, Middle Atlantic PGA. “Thanks to dedicated PGA Professionals who work closely with our amazing military Veterans, PGA HOPE provides a lasting, meaningful experience for these American heroes to utilize golf as a means of rehabilitation and fun.”
PGA HOPE Programs will take place under the direction of PGA of America Golf Professionals at golf facilities through the Middle Atlantic region starting in April and running through the fall golf season. Veterans interested in participating in PGA HOPE and finding a local facility, can visit: https://mapga.com/pga-reach-2/military.
About Middle Atlantic PGA
The Middle Atlantic PGA Section (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Frisco, Texas. The MAPGA has been a part of The PGA since 1925 and consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There are over 900,000 golfers playing more than 16.5 million rounds of golf a season in the Middle Atlantic region. As player development remains a driving force in the golf industry, the MAPGA provides a wide variety of programs and assistance to support its members who teach the game, promote goodwill and share the game’s values to their golfing customers and their communities in general. Locally, MAPGA Professionals assist in raising over $6 million annually for charities.
