Lasting relationships formed by Veterans on the golf course

Vets and their golf buddies, from Left to Right: Steve Hollan, Nicole Wyman, Patrick Gray, Kara Foster, Mark Hawkins, Michael Schutte, Linda Kimbrough, and Ted Palmer

By Scott Dixon

RIVERSIDE, Iowa – For Veterans at the National Disabled Veterans Golf Clinic, the clinic is about the golf lessons and the chance to learn how to use their adaptive sports gear. For Ted Palmer, Mark Hawkins, Nicole Wyman, and Michael Schutte, it’s also a chance to get the band back together. Each year, these Veterans request to be put on the same foursome when they send in their applications for the NDVGC. Their friendships are one of the surprise benefits of the event.

Ted, from Louisville, Kentucky, has attended the NDVGC for the past three years and says the camaraderie of his team is one of his favorite parts of the event.

“That’s the beauty of this whole thing,” said Ted. “Even when we play bad, we still laugh and have a good time.”

Aside from finding this group of friends, the NDVGC introduced Ted to tai chi, which he says has been life changing as it helps him manage his pain.

The newest member of the group, Nicole, says she immediately felt welcomed by the men on the team when she first showed up last year. The Navy Veteran gets her care at the Togus VA Medical Center in Chelsea, Maine and has dreams of becoming a professional golfer. Nicole says the friends she has made on the course help her with her mental health and drive her to improve her golf swing.

Mark is another Navy Vet who gets his care in Columbus, Ohio. He didn’t know much about golfing but after he lost his sight, his caretakers encouraged him to give the Golf Clinic a try. Mark says his first year was in 2018, and he immediately fell in love with the game. He gave his fellow golfers a laugh describing his first year, “once I got out on the course, it was like ‘oh I see,’ said the blind man.”

Michael is from Cleveland, Ohio and is the third Navy Vet on the team. This was his fourth year at the clinic. In his soft-spoken voice Mike says, “The VA is just so wonderful, and this event is a great place to build camaraderie with your fellow Vets.”

Watching the team offer each other encouragement while also trading friendly barbs before bursting into raucous laughter, you would think the group had been friends for their whole lives. Ted says the staff at the event puts them all at ease and gives them the opportunity to simply enjoy the game, the environment, and the company, “the volunteers and staff just take such good care of us.”