Ryan Evans, PGA, decided golf would be the best way to achieve his goal of helping Veterans in the Binghamton area.
Evans’ desire to give back took the form of a six-week PGA HOPE clinic. Evans works at the Dick’s Sporting Goods House of Sport at Oakdale Commons in Johnson City. With three golf simulators on site, Evans designed a PGA HOPE program to serve five Veterans. The program began Nov. 14.
“I really wanted to give back and do something for the Veterans,” Evans said. “I wanted to give them a chance to play, give them some tips and make them better players.”
A clinic exclusively for Veterans is something Evans has wanted to do for a while. He earned his PGA HOPE certification in April and proposed the clinic after starting his position at Dick’s House of Sports earlier this year. Evans started with a modest five participants and intends to expand class size next year.
“I wanted to start small for the first one,” Evans said. “A couple (of Veterans) are new to the game. A neat factor is no one knew each other and this is a way for them to make new friends.”
Over six weeks, Evans will cover different aspects of the game including putting, wedges and irons. The first clinic focused on hitting a driver and included a special guest. Evans invited his good friend and World Long Drive competitor Michael Michaelides, of Binghamton, to meet the Veterans. Michaelides discussed some golfing myths, how to gain yards and course management.
“He put on a show and hit some bombs for them,” Evans said.
At the end of the six-week clinic, Evans will hold a fun 9-hole scramble using the House of Golf. Having fun while learning are the main objectives.
“Hopefully this experience will put them on a lifelong journey with golf,” Evans said.