SAN ANTONIO – Veterans in San Antonio are finding healing and community on the golf course.
The PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) program, run by the Professional Golfers Association, offers free golf lessons to veterans as a form of therapy and social connection.
“I learned not only to enjoy the game and learn the game,” said U.S. Army Veteran Santiago Wenceslao. “I learned socialization through part of the progression of the weeks.”
For many veterans, the program provides more than just learning a new sport.
“It helped me out a lot personally because I have a lot of mental health issues, so just being in the community really helped me out,” said active-duty Navy sailor Colin Nicholson.
The program has helped over 50,000 military veterans reconnect with their communities.
“I started playing back in 2020 during the pandemic, and it just kind of taught me discipline and just laugh at yourself whenever you make mistakes, to keep going and persevere,” Nicholson said.
Veterans can receive lessons from professional coaches. No prior golfing experience is required to participate.
“It’s really an open and inviting community that I’ve never been exposed to in my life before, and it’s really heartwarming to me,” Wenceslao said.
For some veterans, the program has become a turning point in their journey toward recovery and social connection.
“What was I waiting for? So many years were basically in my isolation, I could have met so many other people, or I could have helped so many other people in all those years, time lost,” Wenceslao said.
Veterans interested in participating in the PGA HOPE program can find more information here.
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