vetspin
Backspin staff has been inspired by the VGA Tour and its mission
and will include information about the VGA in all issues going
forward.
VGA Tour offers support,
understanding and competition
It’s a harsh reality. “They” return home to
open arms of a loving family, their lifelong
friends and children who they need to get to
know at their new ages. Although their family
loves them and is in a hurry to get things back
to normal again, “they” have a new normal.
And many new memories.
These memories challenge their normal
and often bring them back to the prior
months, or even years, they were deployed.
Their military brothers beside them, they
made life-or-death decisions every minute,
both for themselves and those brothers.
Immersion back into normal is not easy. And
their loved ones just don’t understand.
And how could they?
Enter organizations such as the Veterans
Golf Association.
While it may not at first be obvious that
golf is the perfect sport for veterans, just
talking to some of the members who played
at Carter Plantation the weekend prior to
July 4 would make it crystal clear.
According to its website, the mission of the
Veterans Golfers Associations is to enrich the
lives of veterans and their family members
through the game of golf. With over 250
34
local tournaments for thousands of members
across the country, this organization offers
ample opportunities for veterans and their
family members to come together and
support each other.
“These guys really need this,” says VGA
Louisiana Assistant State Director Cody
Nunn. “It’s a way that they can come together
and talk with others who have experienced
what they have – and they understand each
other.”
With the slower pace of golf and the
opportunity for conversation between
shots, this sport also offers competition and
drive, some of the attributes that beckoned
them to the military in the first place. The
VGA local tournaments include four super
regional qualifiers that lead to the VGA
Championship at Pinehurst No. 2 during the
week of Veterans Day each year. VGA Tour
divisions include veterans, females, wounded,
family members and seniors.
Golf is a forum for the veterans, says
Justin Bryson, VGA Louisiana Assistant
South Louisiana Event Coordinator. He said
the support for this organization has grown,
especially in Louisiana. There was a great
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