COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) – Wednesday morning, military personnel gathered at Bull Creek Golf Course in Columbus as a part of a flagship military program – PGA Hope.

”PGA Hope: ‘Helping Our Patriots Everywhere’. It’s about preventing military suicide, it’s about giving them a reason to get off the couch, give them something to do, treat PTSD,” said Jim Arendt, Golf Director for City of Columbus. “They’re cared for, they’re respected, they’ve got something positive to look forward to and do and something to work on – to play better golf.”

PGA Hope is a 6-8 week program that introduces golf to active-duty military and veterans. The program helps military personnel improve their physical, social, mental and emotional well-being through the game of golf. Wednesday, more than 50 people took part in the special event, along with over 2,400 golf clubs having been donated to those participating.

“My husband passed away two years ago and he was a staunch supporter of the military,” said PGA Hope Volunteer, Stacia Rosner. “He loved the game of golf, he loved the friends he met. I am trying to collect golf clubs so any veteran can take advantage of this program. We wanna give them everything they need because they gave us everything they had.”

This year alone, PGA Hope has impacted over 17,000 military personnel nationwide, with more than 500 programs across the country in all 50 states.

“Golf is a very social sport; we get outside, we get to exert ourselves in the sunshine, get to be around people who feel like they do so they know ‘hey I’m not the only one that feels this way,” said Arendt.

For more information, visit PGA Hope.

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