PGA HOPE Outing At Sweetens Cove Meaningful For Military Veterans

When Wesley Meadows showed up at Sweetens Cove Golf Club on Monday to participate in a special outing for military veterans, he was thrilled to get a chance to play one of the nation’s top golf courses.

Little did Meadows know that the day would also bring another surprise.

As one of 31 veterans attending the “Operation 24: Stay Up for Those Who Stood Up”, Meadows crossed paths with one of his fellow Army soldiers who he’d not seen in a dozen years.

“I couldn’t believe I met one of my old soldiers named Greg Hyatt who I hadn’t seen since 2011,” said Meadows, who lives in Decatur. “We were deployed together in Iraq. Then I was paired with two guys who were there at the same base when I was in Iraq and we were able to share some memories of our time there.”

The event was staged by the Tennessee PGA through the PGA HOPE initiative. PGA HOPE is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. It is designed to introduce golf to veterans to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being through a six-week developmental curriculum taught by PGA professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency.

More than 30 PGA professionals were also donating their time to play 24 consecutive hours of golf, with the morning rains making it challenging for the first group off the tee. The professionals operated in shifts to see that there was a ball in play throughout the night before concluding Tuesday morning.

Sweetens Cove in South Pittsburg has hosted several night golf events, positioning 40 portable light towers around the course to illuminate the nine-hole layout. The goal is to raise funds via pledges from donors with the proceeds being administered by the Tennessee Golf Foundation to provide veterans who are PGA HOPE graduates additional opportunities to play. Those wishing to contribute can register their pledge through www.pledgeit.org/operation24.

The outing also provided the opportunity for two flights of 40 golfers – one during the day, and the other held under the lights – the chance to give back to PGA HOPE through their participation. The chance to tackle Sweetens Cove attracted teams from as far away as St. Simons Island, Georgia to play in the event, and also included foursomes from Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis.

Mike Warren, who lives on Sand Mountain, used to view his golf game differently before attending the PGA HOPE session this spring.

“Golf to me was drinking beer, driving the cart around and knocking the crap out of the ball until I retired from the Army and started playing with old men who would beat your butt,” Warren said. “But PGA HOPE was a great program because the guys that taught us did an awesome job.”

Warren went through the program with four other veterans, and it has been instrumental in building community within the game of golf.

“Golf has created a bond with some guys and we play all the time now. I’ve seen a dozen guys here today that I served with that I haven’t seen for years,” Warren said. “It’s been good to see them and reconnect. Since I’ve retired, about all I do is golf. Golf has been therapy to me.”

Joe Harper of Harrison grew has been playing golf his entire life. But he walked away from the game during his military career in the Marines. PGA HOPE has now returned him to the game he loves.

“Days like this are good as it helps you cope with things and learn to be a productive member of society,” Harper said. “I had to quit because of things that happened in Iraq. But PGA HOPE has led me to getting back into it.”

After multiple surgeries due to his military service, Meadows started golfing two years ago. He learned the game through watching instruction online, but was amazed by the results of attending the PGA HOPE workshop.

“I learned more in six weeks than I ever did watching videos,” Meadows said. “I’ve improved my handicap by five strokes since I started the program. It’s humbling to see that people still appreciate what we do in the military and the level of individual instruction we’re given through PGA HOPE.”

Steve Reed of Chapel Hill, Tennessee serves as the PGA HOPE Ambassador for Tennessee. He found out the program while watching the telecast of the PGA Championship in 2016.

“I saw Jack Nicklaus talking about PGA HOPE, so I called the 1-800 number to find out more,” Reed said. “They had just started the program in Franklin with two veterans, and I started volunteering. I was inducted as Ambassador in 2021 and we’ve seen the program grow each year. We’re now in Crossville, Franklin, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City with a program starting soon in Kingsport. We plan to move into west Tennessee in the fall, so we’ll have the entire state covered.”

Reed credits Tennessee Golf Foundation President Whit Turnbow with the vision to continue to expand the PGA HOPE outreach to military veterans.

“Whit is the driving force behind the success we’ve experienced, and it means a lot to me personally,” Reed said. “I retired from the Tennessee National Guard after nine years in the Army, and being connected to this program is a privilege and something that suits me perfectly.”

Paul Payne can be contacted at paulpayne6249@gmail.com