ARIZONA NEWS


Instructor Filippa McDougal hits the ball while wearing a prosthetic device on her leg.


after service to golf. HOPE is an acronym for “Helping Our Patriots Everywhere.” Recently the program brought its golf team to Wildfire Golf Club to help PGA professionals in the Southwest Section learn how to teach veterans with disabilities. Veterans such as Scottsdale’s Tom


SWPGA pros get lessons to help vets


n BY JEFF HEISNER I


n a classic comedy skit about golf, the late comedian Robin Williams went on and on about how difficult the game can be. At one point, he


even makes it sound like torture. But for a large group of former military personnel, the take on the sport is just the opposite. These American heroes are using it as a tool for healing. That is why the PGA of America’s


HOPE program was started. It introduces veterans who have returned home


Bishop, who on his last mission in Iraq as a U.S. Army sergeant took a direct hit from an improvised explosive devise. This was the second time Bishop was hit with an IED, but he wasn’t as lucky as the first time when he lost only his pinky toe. The shrapnel blew apart the vehicle and ended Bishop’s military career. His heel was shattered, and his arm and leg were broken. He was beaten up physically and not the same when he returned to Scottsdale. Bishop loved basketball, but when


he tried to play after the injuries, his range of motion, quickness and athletic ability suffered. The frustration grew. “I felt broken,” Bishop recalled. Many veterans struggle to assimilate


back into their lives after being injured. While the physical limitations were discouraging, the mental part was much worse for Bishop. That new reality is part of what


is causing so many veterans to take their own lives. According to the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration, 22


Patriot All-America to host fourth edition


The Patriot All-America is recognized as one of the top amateur events in the country, attracting 84 nationally ranked golfers from the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA and AJGA. The Arizona Golf Association, JDM Partners and the Golf Coaches Association of


www.azgolf.org


America are partnering for a fourth time with the Folds of Honor Foundation to host the prestigious amateur tournament at The Wigwam on Dec. 29-31. This year’s field is


highlighted by more than 45 golfers from Division I schools. Notables from the


SWPGA


veterans and active-duty service members die by suicide a day Enter PGA HOPE, which is helping


to train instructors so they, in turn, can help vets get back in the flow. And rarely do you witness a group of PGA pros hit a golf ball like this, as errant shots were everywhere. On this day at Wildfire, these pros looked more like 25 handicappers. But they had an excuse — they were learning how to hit a golf ball while wearing a prosthetic or even with one hand. “It forces you to actually feel


what it’s like to be in that situation and not just improvise,” said Filippa McDougal, who teaches at Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale. “It forced me to teach outside the box.” Craig Hocknull runs the Patriot


Golf Academy out of Western Skies in Gilbert. Hocknull’s academy gives free lessons to veterans and servicemen every Saturday. He knows the value of this program, “As a PGA member here in the Southwest Section, I think it’s fantastic and one of our coaches was a recipient of this type of program.” With all the support and positive


stories on what golf has done for disabled veterans, PGA HOPE is quickly expanding. It was started only a year ago and has grown from eight to 18 chapters with plans to have a program in every section of the PGA by 2016. n


college ranks that have committed to play include Bryson Dechambeau from SMU, Charlie Danielson of Illinois, and Kyle Jones of Baylor. International players include Gary Hurley from the National University of Ireland- Maynooth, and both Jack McDonald and Cormac Sharvin of the University of Stirling (Scottland). Blake Cannon and Ki Taek Lee will compete


from Arizona State. In cooperation with the


Folds of Honor Foundation, the golfers in the Patriot All-America will continue the tradition to represent a fallen service member by carrying a PING golf bag with his or her name on it. The 54-hole tournament takes place on the famed Gold Course in what is a postseason bowl-like experience for the participants. n


ANNUAL 2014 | AZ GOLF Insider | 39


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