Veterans say PGA HOPE golf program helped save lives, build community

Several veterans and program participants used the public-comment period to praise the PGA HOPE golf program, saying it offered life-saving support and a social network for local veterans.

"My friend is alive today because of this program," said Commenter 1, a veteran who described the program as central to his recovery. Commenter 1 added that program staff and volunteers made themselves available beyond scheduled sessions: "If you're struggling, if you need to talk, my phone's on his own. It isn't just during the whole program. It's 365 days a year, 24/7."

Other commenters described PGA HOPE as more than instruction in golf. "Golf is just the vehicle," Commenter 4 said. "Whatever they wanna do, whether it's play golf, putt, or just sit there and do nothing under a tree. They're more than welcome to do that." Commenter 4 also said the City of Boynton Beach had allowed the speaker to structure the program to reach veterans through homeowners associations and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.

Several speakers credited the program with changes in career direction and improvements in everyday life. "This changed my career. This changed my life," Commenter 3 said, calling PGA HOPE "part of me now." Commenter 2 said the program "has saved lives," and described the program's leader, Beau, as "a gentleman with a huge heart" who is invested in helping veterans.

Speakers emphasized informal, peer-to-peer elements of the program: carpooling veterans to sessions, encouraging social conversation at the facility nicknamed LYNX, and outreach to local VFW posts and HOAs to engage participants. One speaker with decades of golf experience said the value was the people and community rather than instruction: "I have been playing golf for over 60 years ... It's the people."

These remarks were delivered as public comment; no formal action, vote or policy change was proposed during the discussion. The comments characterized PGA HOPE primarily as a community-based support program for veterans and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, emphasizing continued informal contact between program staff, volunteers and participants.