For veterans coming back from war with injuries, they need some kind of escape, something to help get their minds off of what they've been through.
They're finding it on the golf course, with the help of a very special player.
"It's an honor to be amongst these veterans and be able to try to teach them about what I know about the game of golf," said local golf legend Tom Watson.
A PGA program called PGA HOPE, or Help Our Patriots Everywhere, brought Watson to a North Kansas City golf course to teach disabled veterans about the benefits of the game he loves.
"Heaven knows what these people have gone through to do the things that they did for our country, they need some respite sometimes from the rest of the world," said Watson.
Veteran Charles May was among those at the special lesson.
"I suffer from severe PTSD and depression," said May. "I was in a pretty dark place there for a while."
After a long, difficult tour in Iraq, where an RPG strike left him with a severe brain injury, he comes to the golf course to find peace.
"It's so relaxing on the course," said May.
Watson's clinic is just the beginning of a six- to eight-week program, built to help the veterans' games and their minds.
"What we're doing is we're giving veterans a moment in time where they're about to strike that golf ball. The only thing they're thinking about is hitting that golf ball," said Chris Nowak with PGA HOPE. "They're not thinking about the trauma they witnessed. The trauma they've experienced."
For more information on PGA HOPE, click here.
Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
