Every year, the PGA of America hosts a golf tournament for veterans from across the country.
The participants are chosen from local PGA Helping Our Patriots Everywhere (HOPE) programs to be ambassadors. They are asked to spread word of the benefits of the program and recruit other veterans. Nineteen ambassadors were invited to the Congressional Country Club for this year’s tournament, where a very special guest was in attendance.
"I didn't have the opportunity or privilege to serve with the military when I was younger. I got married young and had family young, and they said, bye bye," retired golfer Jack Nicklaus said. "I’ve watched people and friends of mine that go into the military who protect our way of life, give us the freedoms. This is just my way of saying thank you."
The veterans were surprised as Nicklaus walked onto the green and watched over a putting tournament. The golf great even attempted a few shots himself.
PGA HELPS VETERANS THROUGH MILITARY GOLF PROGRAM
"They all had one putt to make. One of them made it. I putt it three times, didn't come close," Nicklaus said.
He gave the golfers some tips and sat for a fireside chat during the weekend's reception.
"I've had fun doing it. I've met a lot of great guys and gals, and that is just something that I want to continue to do," Nicklaus said.
The veterans all came to the PGA HOPE program after serving their country, when many experienced challenges.
"It can be very overwhelming when you get out," former Army Sgt. Nick Palazzolo said. "I've personally experienced the dark place that you can go to, and being in there is no fun and at the time I didn't have a good support system around me."
Palazzolo deployed twice to Afghanistan while in the Army. He was an airborne paratrooper and jump master. He received the bronze star for his service. He says many veterans face hardships when leaving the military.
"I got out in 2018, and I've lost just about a friend a year to suicide, some not in the traditional sense that more so drugs or alcohol or just going down the wrong path in life has been kind of tough to deal with for a lot of folks," Palazzolo said.
He found out about PGA HOPE through another group he was in. Now as an ambassador, he hopes to invite other veterans who have a story similar to his.
"Being younger when I got out and not retiring from the military, it's kind of like an astronaut disconnecting his tether from the spaceship. It's the army's over there, and I'm over here and never to be talked to again," Palazzolo said. "Having the ability to go get guys when they first get out and say, hey, here's something that you can do once a week when you first get out that you can always count on."
Former Army Pfc. Scott McAllister had a similar story.
"It's not war that kills a lot of veterans. It's the peace," McAllister said. "When you get back, it becomes damn near impossible to reintegrate back into systems that just don't understand you."
McAllister joined the Army after the 9/11 terror attacks. He volunteered out of basic training to deploy to Iraq.
"The deployments weren't fun, but being around people that I trusted and loved and cared for… it's not it's not what you go through. It's who you go through with," McAllister said.
PGA HOPE HELPS CHANGE VETERANS' LIVES WITH GOLF THERAPY
He became a social worker to assist veterans who also may have a difficult time reintegrating. He eventually found the PGA HOPE program, which has since helped him expand his outreach, while also focusing on himself.
"If I need to be alone and spend time between the six inches between my ears, I can do that on the course. Golf does that for me. If I need a buddy to golf with, golf does that," McAllister said.
Nicklaus agrees that golf has been great rehabilitation for veterans and civilians alike.
"I've seen all these different guys and see what golf is doing for them, not only what its doing for them physically, but what it's doing for the mentally," Nicklaus said.
Former U.S. Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Amber Bogle found PGA HOPE at a time when she was feeling most alone.
"There are strangers I became friends with that are now my brothers and sisters, that's what I needed to get back to where my life was supposed to be," Bogle said.
She never deployed overseas but said watching others go through the experience has made her want to help veterans facing hardships.
"I feel guilty that I was never sent overseas and that's why I think I’m so involved in this program," Bogle said.
After she was honorably discharged, Bogle found herself at a low point. Her marriage had just ended, and her daughter, Annabelle, was being bullied at school.
"She was 13 at the time. And there's some really unkind people out there," Bogle said. "She was going to school, and they were telling her that she was the reason why her parents got divorced, said that if she died, the whole school would clap at her funeral, and they would tell her that she should just kill herself."
As the bullying went on, Bogle said she received the worst phone call she could imagine from her daughter.
"She had told me that she had just taken up a bottle of pills," Bogle said.
Annabelle was able to get the help she needed. Bogle found herself frustrated with people she thought were friends.
"I was very, very angry at my community. What I thought was my community and my friends at the time, and I cut pretty much everyone off," Bogle said.
She began to feel very alone until she received an email about PGA HOPE.
"The subject said free golf for veterans," Bogle said. "I thought I was going to be a softball player for life but I told myself ‘I’m gonna do that. I’m gonna try it out.’"
She had such a great experience that she hopes to share the game of golf and its benefits beyond the veteran community. She is now working toward becoming a PGA professional.
"To get to know what was going on in my head, I feel like I have a very positive, upbeat personality because I choose to be that way," Bogle said. "I've made it my mission to find people like me. People say check on your friends if they seem sad. Check on your friends if they seem happy."
As for Annabelle, she is now a sophomore in high school. She is on the volleyball team and serves as a student ambassador.
Veterans like Bogle have helped the PGA HOPE program grow over the years. In 2019, around 2,500 veterans participated. This year more than 17,000 have taken part in the program across the country. Nicklaus says he hopes to continue inspiring veterans to pick up the game of golf.
"I walked out on the green, and they looked over and said, ‘my gosh. Look at this. This is now the best day of my life,’" Nicklaus said. "If I could install a little bit of that into somebody that just makes me feel fantastic, and it made them feel great."
