PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup Celebrates Veterans Finding Purpose Through Golf

As Christopher Garner mingled among the dozens of golfers testing their prowess at putting and chipping at Council Fire Golf Club’s practice facility on Monday, his exuberant demeanor was evident to all. On this gorgeous spring afternoon surrounded by men and women sharing a common bond beyond golf, Garner was at peace.

Garner was among the three dozen military veterans gathered to participate in the Secretary’s Cup, a statewide competition between nine different chapters of PGA HOPE which serves as the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

The format included team-based skills challenges on Monday followed by a dinner, with Tuesday featuring an 18-hole scramble with each team accompanied by a PGA professional. Those participating had graduated from one of the local six-week developmental workshops throughout Tennessee, and this second edition of the event served as a chance to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Veterans who have taken up a passion for golf.

All branches of the military were represented, as well as a broad range of ages who have served our country in various capacities and conflicts around the globe. While golf served as the point of connection for these men and women attending, more importantly it helped establish a new sense of community and belonging that evaporated for many once their military service ended.

Such was the case for Garner. After back issues short circuited his plans to play college football, he joined the Coast Guard and began to flourish. He was stationed in Puerto Rico as an aviation survival technician and specialized rescue swimmer while surfing in his spare time. But his life took on a different trajectory after the tragic events of 9/11.

After six years in the Coast Guard, Garner transitioned to the newly-formed Department of Homeland Security, where he’d spend the next 16 years. Given the nature of his duties, Garner was placed in harm’s way on more than one occasion. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the stresses associated with his calling began to take its toll. But things came to a head after moving back to Memphis and retiring from the military in 2022.

“I would say honestly it was the lack of community, the lack of brotherhood," Garner said. "It was the lack of doing the job that I trained for day in and day out. I just had this sense of being lost. I ended up going through a divorce and having a huge custody battle over my daughter. But looking back on it, and kind of being where I am now, I can see that I was not a great person. I would like to blame somebody else, but honestly it was all on me.”

Garner had lost hope. He was floundering in finding purpose as a civilian, overwhelmed with despair. That's when he decided two years ago to take drastic action. Only the miraculous malfunction of a firing pin failing to discharge a bullet spared his life.

Afterwards, he began to seek professional help reconstruct his life, piecing together the reason behind his failed attempt to take his own life. He also began to pour his life into a non-profit that addressed homelessness among Veterans, and got involved in the organization’s golf scramble fundraiser. Suddenly, Garner had an epiphany.

“I saw the veterans that come and play who were sponsored by large corporations,” Garner said. “I saw when these guys were out there and they were playing golf, they had a new camaraderie. I saw people that I knew were not really pleasant to be around anymore who were laughing, joking, cutting up, hugging, crying. I mean, they were going through the gambit of how you think they should be instead of how they were. When I saw that, I really wanted to figure out how I could do something specifically through golf to make that happen for more Veterans.”

It was at that point that he discovered PGA HOPE through researching organizations that embraced this mission, and that led to a phone call to Tennessee PGA Section executive director Clayton Hromadka. After driving to Nashville from Memphis the next day to meet with Hromadka, Garner returned to his home course at TPC Southwind full of resolve and ambition.

“Two weeks later, we had instructors getting certified,” Garner said “And then a couple weeks after that, we had the inaugural PGA HOPE class there at Southwind. We had such a great turnout that we had to run a simultaneous course at another facility. I was totally bought in.”

Golf became a nexus for Garner to help his fellow Veterans avoid the dark place he found himself two years earlier. Last year, there were five different PGA HOPE sessions conducted in West Tennessee thanks to Garner’s passionate pursuit.

“My son plays golf for his high school, and so I kind of started playing with him,” Garner said. “Golf really helped me. I hate for it to sound like a cliché but golf saved my life. Golf gave me the ability, like if you hit a bad shot, you’ve got to take a step back, shake that off, and get ready for the next shot. Because if you're not in the right frame of mind for that next shot, you're screwing yourself up. To translate that into daily life for Veterans, especially those who’ve got demons going on, going through hard times, the lessons learned on the golf course are impactful.”

Garner, who refers to himself as “a real estate nerd” involved as a realtor, mortgage broker, contractor and property manager, loves the manner in which golf has no allowances for excuse making.

“It's a single person sport, me against the golf course, and I think that's what I needed in my life,” Garner said. “You’re held accountable for your actions. In a lot of stuff in the civilian world there's no accountability. Going from your day in, day out life being around all these people with a warrior mentality, transitioning to life outside of the military can be a hard pill to swallow.”

Now serving as an ambassador to spread the message of PGA HOPE on a national level, Garner is relentless in chasing this dream to help his fellow Veterans.

“Events like this tournament are great,” Garner said. “A lot of the programs throughout the United States have got waiting lists. Our big issue is getting more instructors certified. But in the meantime, we need to concentrate on keeping the Veterans engaged, not letting them go back to that not-so-great place they came from.”

Chattanooga resident Benny Stormer was drafted during the Vietnam War campaign, serving two years in the U.S. Army during which he was deployed to Germany as a supply clerk.

“It's tremendously rewarding to be a part of the military, to know that you served your country and you did what you were supposed to do as a citizen,” Stormer said. “It gave me an opportunity to become disciplined for sure.”

Stormer found out about PGA HOPE through a fellow member of his golfing group known as ‘The 19^th Hole’, and graduated from the program last spring.

“I love it. The fellowship of the guys is rewarding. There is a unique camaraderie that we have that is special,” Stormer said.

With chapters across the state of Tennessee, those interested can get more information by going to https://tennpga.com/pga-hope/.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS: The PGA HOPE Audubon team of PGA professional Austin Chinn, Terry Johnson, Charlie Wherry, Samuel Sloane and Shaun Gustafson captured the title in the tournament with a score of 17-under par 55.

The PGA HOPE Nashville squad comprised of PGA professional Jesse Grimes, Mike Rice, Vinny Grippi, Stan Brent and Roger Maddox finished second at 14-under par 58, while PGA HOPE Tri-Cities placed third at 13-under par 59 behind PGA Professional Jeremy Beachner, Doni McCarthy, Jade Bell, Keith Kesterson and Monty Drake.

The Nashville team also claimed the putting competition, while PGA HOPE graduate Benny Stormer of Bear Trace and Beachner captured honors in the chipping competition. Scott Merrit won the PGA Professional closest-to-the pin award conducted on No. 17, while PGA HOPE graduate William Middlebrooks of PGA HOPE Springfield earned the honors for the amateurs on No. 7.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com