Tag: PGA REACH

Photos: Veterans participate in the 2022 PGA HOPE National Golf & Wellness Week at Congressional Country Club

Twenty veterans living with physical or cognitive challenges traveled to the nation’s capital for specialized golf and wellness training.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is a golf program that helps to rehabilitate veterans with the goal to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional feel being.

Every year PGA HOPE introduces the game of golf to 7,500 veterans at 215 venues across the country.

This year, 20 veterans living with physical or cognitive challenges such as TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and amputees traveled to the nation’s capital for specialized golf and wellness training.

Last week, the group of heroes played Congressional Country Club, host of the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Before the round, they participated in a program showcase and interview opportunities.

After their week was complete, the veterans became PGA HOPE Ambassadors, with a responsibility to serve as a champion for PGA HOPE in their home market.

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Patriot Golf Days are a great opportunity to thank and support the military community this Memorial Day weekend

PGA REACH and Folds of Honor are co-hosting the fundraising event this year to benefit the military community and their families.

For the second consecutive year, Patriot Golf Days are returning for Memorial Day weekend. What’s PGD you may ask? Well, it’s a fantastic opportunity to thank our nation’s heroes with the game of golf.

PGA REACH, and Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members, co-host the nationwide fundraiser that started in 2007. PGA members across the country are playing a huge part this year, too.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) introduces golf to veterans to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. The program includes a six-to-eight-week golf instruction course taught by PGA pros trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency.

This weekend, around the U.S., events will take place in all 41 PGA chapters to raise money for the foundations. For example, Jimmy McMullen, PGA Director of Coaching at Salem Glen Country Club’s Golf Academy in Clemmons, North Carolina, is doing a 250-hole golf marathon from dawn to dusk. Supporters can pledge per hole or based on the number of birdies they record. They can also make direct donations.

“We’re especially proud that our 28,000 PGA Professionals have raised millions of charitable dollars through Patriot Golf Days for our nation’s heroes and their families,” said PGA President Jim Richerson in a release. “Having these influential organizations join in to back this critically important effort points to how closely aligned the golf community is in our support of our Veterans and their families.”

“It’s exciting that Patriot Golf Days will again be held during Memorial Day weekend,” said Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor in the same release. “The partnership between Folds of Honor and PGA HOPE helps both Veterans and military families. As a PGA Professional, I’m grateful to my fellow PGA Members, the golf facilities participating in Patriot Golf Days and patriotic Americans who contribute to our mission.

“All money that is raised will directly benefit individuals and families in the community and the PGA Section where it was raised, and provide financial resources for Folds of Honor academic scholarships and PGA HOPE programs.”

If you would like to donate, visit the Patriot Golf Days website here.

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PGA HOPE joins with Folds of Honor for Patriot Golf Day to support veterans and families

Patriot Golf Day supports veterans with disabilities and families of fallen soldiers with educational scholarships, more than 28,000 in all.

The Folds of Honor has joined forces with PGA HOPE to conduct Patriot Golf Day over Labor Day Weekend to support the needs of U.S. military veterans and their families through golf.

It’s easy for players to participate in Patriot Golf Day. Anyone playing golf Sept. 4-7 can donate extra money through their green fee at participating courses nationwide, and many courses will present cash donation boxes on their pro shop counters. Many courses also will conduct fundraising tournaments and other events to support the cause, and interested parties also can donate directly to Patriot Golf Day through foldsofhonor.org.

Folds of Honor, founded by U.S. Air Force Reserves Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney in 2007, has utilized Patriot Golf Day to raise funds that have supported 28,000 educational scholarships for spouses and children of disabled veterans and fallen soldiers. Folds of Honor reported that in 2019 alone it awarded approximately $22 million in educational scholarships to more than 4,500 students, representing a 10 percent increase in scholarships from 2018.

Patriot Golf Day honors the memory of fallen soldiers, as well as supporting veterans with disabilities and military families with educational scholarships. (Courtesy of the Folds of Honor)

“We are so impressed by the outpouring of support the golf community has consistently shown for Folds of Honor over the last 13 years,” Rooney said in a media release. “… I am very proud to stand with my fellow PGA professionals and take this next step together with PGA HOPE to honor those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of the PGA of America’s PGA REACH foundation, which has a goal of impacting the lives of youth, military and diverse populations. PGA HOPE introduces veterans with disabilities to golf to support their physical and mental wellbeing with a curriculum taught by PGA professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the work that PGA professionals have done through PGA HOPE, utilizing the game of golf as a form of therapy and rehabilitation for veterans,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh in the media statement. “By partnering with Folds of Honor on Patriot Golf Day, we can expand our footprint within the families of those we serve through golf. This partnership is a natural extension of our long-standing mission to support our nation’s heroes.”

The Patriot Golf Day campaign is led by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus.

“I never had the privilege to serve our great nation, but I am passionate and committed to any initiative that allows us to recognize, assist and support the men and women of our military, who have sacrificed so much for our freedom,” Nicklaus said in the media release. “When we can use the game of golf as the vehicle to give back, it becomes even more meaningful to me.”

PGA Works Golf Management University Scholarship recipients revealed for 2020-2021

PGA Reach announced Thursday the recipients of the 2020-2021 PGA Works Golf Management University Scholarship, aimed at promoting diversity.

Ten students received good news from PGA Reach this week.

Students from 10 different colleges across the nation were awarded the PGA Works Golf Management University Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic school year. Recipients attend Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Florida Gulf Coast, Methodist, Nebraska-Lincoln, UCCS and UNLV.

The $8,000 scholarship each student received is awarded to students from across the United States who have diverse backgrounds and are working toward PGA Membership while pursuing full-time undergraduate studies at one of the 18 accredited PGA Golf Management Universities.

“PGA Reach is proud to award these outstanding students with a PGA Works Golf Management University Scholarship, as they pursue their dream of earning PGA Membership and a college degree,” said PGA President Suzy Whaley in a statement. “We congratulate them for their academic success, and we’re delighted that they represent an exciting future for the game and our industry.”

The recipients were selected based on their academic record, leadership and participation in their university and community activities. Work experience and playing ability were among the other factors.

2020-2021 Scholarship Recipients

Cole Carrigan, Eastern Kentucky University
Taylorsville, North Carolina
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2024

Brianna Fleming, Coastal Carolina University
Monaca, Pennsylvania
Coastal Carolina University
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2022

Mark Howard, Eastern Kentucky University
Lexington, Kentucky
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2023

Leah Im, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2023

Brayden Kelley, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Fruita, Colorado
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2024

Grace McKinnon, Florida Gulf Coast University
Methuen, Massachusetts
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2024

Jerrell Parrish, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Hyattsville, Maryland
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2023

Breanna Reynolds, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Parker, South Dakota
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2023

Margaret Williams, Methodist University
Gambier, Ohio
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2024

Rachel Wohn, Clemson University
Savannah, Georgia
PGA Golf Management University Program Class of 2022

NBA All-Star Paul Millsap uniquely positioned to be first PGA WORKS ambassador

Paul Millsap, a four-time NBA All-Star and power forward for the Denver Nuggets, has become the next great crossover star in the golf world.

Paul Millsap, a four-time NBA All-Star and a power forward for the Denver Nuggets, has become the next great crossover star in the golf world, but in a way unlike other professional athletes before him. Millsap, 34, has been named the first-ever PGA WORKS Ambassador.

PGA WORKS is the flagship platform within the Inclusion pillar of PGA REACH, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America. The PGA WORKS mission is to diversify the golf industry’s workforce through initiatives like fellowships, scholarships, career exploration events and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.

It’s a mission not unlike the one Millsap has undertaken through CORE4, an Atlanta-based Prep School Academy and elite basketball skills training facility he co-founded with his three brothers. CORE4, which opened the doors to its facility in 2018, operates on a mantra of four C’s: character, community, commitment and competition.

The program cultivates young men’s basketball skills but also puts an emphasis on life skills, from nutrition to financial literacy to career development. The goal of CORE4 is not just to develop the next generation’s star players, but also agents, skill development experts and strength and conditioning coaches.

Backed by Millsap’s passion for the game – he calls himself an avid golfer though humbly describes his game as still inconsistent – this approach will extend to the golf industry, as CORE4 will launch a golf academy that is designed to promote access to golf careers in the industry and pathways to PGA Membership.

Millsap, who played collegiately for Louisiana Tech and played for both the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks before joining the Denver Nuggets in 2017, branched into golf about five years ago. He plays as often as he can in the offseason and is captivated by the game. He plays to a 13 handicap and calls his mid-irons the current strength of his game.

Crossing over from basketball to golf will be new territory for Millsap, but he’s uniquely positioned to do it.

“Through life, there’s key components and there’s always fundamentals to basketball, there’s fundamentals to golf, there’s fundamentals to life in general,” Millsap said. “All of them kind of go hand in hand, but when I picked up golf and dug a little bit deeper into what golf was about – patience and the strategy – those types of elements and components that go into that, it translates to basketball and to life.”

Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap (4) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (0). (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Eligible participants in the CORE4 Golf Academy will also be able to participate in PGA WORKS programs nationally. In addition, Millsap and CORE4 will fund a PGA WORKS Fellowship in the Georgia PGA Section. The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a 12-month paid entry-level position, based at a PGA Section office funded by PGA REACH. The Fellowship presents an experience that is a reflection of what a potential career in the golf industry can offer.

“PGA WORKS is positively impacting the composition of the golf industry’s workforce,” said PGA of America Chief People Officer Sandy Cross. “As we move our mission forward, it is very powerful for us to align with professional athletes like Paul Millsap, and his organization CORE4, who are equally committed to connecting talented individuals from diverse backgrounds with career opportunities in the golf industry.”

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