PGA professional Christopher A. Runyan plays golf daily. He is also a disabled Marine. After he saw disabled veterans on the sidelines at the annual Dan Kleckner’s Golf Classic tournament, which benefits local veteran organizations, Runyan founded VETS on the Green in 2013. The adaptive golf program is designed to help veterans learn to golf and provides access to different local golf courses. In 2018, Chris coordinated with the Spokane VA to assist in identifying severely injured veterans and began a local PGA Helping Our Patriots Everywhere (HOPE) chapter. The local chapter initially included 11 disabled veterans whose conditions included amputations, head injuries, strokes, PTSD and paralysis. Adaptive golf carts, modified clubs, tees and other gear are provided at no cost to the disabled veterans.
I went into these PGA HOPE golf lessons thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy golf. It’s amazing – I now actually love this extremely frustrating sport! My nerve pain just disappears while swinging the club. This was a super introduction to adaptive golf. At the conclusion of the first round of PGA HOPE sessions, we were invited to participate in the Dan Kleckner’s Golf Classic. It was fantastic for all of us adaptive golfers to be included in this fun tournament at Downriver Golf Course the second week in August.
For more information on adaptive sports, contact Brett King at Bkinghomes@gmail.com.