HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Tuesday started the first session of the 2024 PGA of America’s ‘HOPE’ event.
A group of 25 veterans and active-duty military members gathered at the Champions Golf Academy in North Myrtle Beach.
The first session of veterans and service members will meet every Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the golf course for the next six to eight weeks.
The event was created in 2017 to help service men and women make social connections and gain support and physical activity. PGA HOPE is put on by Project Golf and is a nationwide event.
Project Golf Director, Angel Diaz, said PGA HOPE is the flagship military program of the PGA of America.
Diaz said thousands of veterans and service members have attended this event. All ages, branches, genders, and abilities are welcomed.
Diaz said there are currently 15 PGA HOPE instructors. He said in order to become one, you must have a PGA membership and a separate certification.
“During this adaptive golf training,” Diaz said. “We’re being taught as PGA members and instructors to able to teach veterans who are missing an arm, missing a leg, have no legs, can’t see, and so we’re put in their shoes throughout that whole day, and we’re being taught how we’re going to teach the veterans how to play golf.”