Pete Mittelstaedt lines up his wheels to line up his putt. Ray Martinez (pictured above) is hoping his softball-like swing magically corrects itself. Carissa DiPietro just wants to improve at a sport that is helping her get better.

The three are among almost four dozen Veterans who spend Monday afternoons at Oakwood Park Golf Course in suburban Milwaukee as part of PGA Hope, a six-week program that provides Veterans with instruction, course access and adaptive equipment, if needed.

PGA HOPE — Helping Our Patriots Everywhere — is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) of America. The program helps Veterans with disabilities enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being through golf.

The Milwaukee program is in its third year. This year, about 50 Veterans are participating, up from 30 last year, said Chet Hendrickson, golf services manager for Milwaukee County Parks.

PGA volunteer instructors undergo training on how to specifically work with Veterans, Hendrickson said.

“There’s kind of a sample prosthetic, so we learned how to swing as if we were wearing a prosthetic,” Hendrickson said. “Also, what to say around Veterans and maybe what not to say.”

At each session, half the group begins with putting instruction, while the other half heads to the driving range. Afterward, the Veterans can play the course.

Pete Mittelstaedt golfs with the aid of a Paramobile, a specially designed cart maintained by the Stand Up and Play Foundation.

Pete Mittelstaedt golfs with the aid of a Paramobile, a specially designed cart maintained by the Stand Up and Play Foundation.

Mittelstaedt, who served in the Marine Corps from 1963 to 1968, has been in a wheelchair for 12 years. He golfs with the aid of a Paramobile, a specially designed cart maintained by the Stand Up and Play Foundation. The cart raises a golfer from a sitting to a standing position, enabling him or her to take a natural golf swing. It also can be used on the green.

“I love it,” Mittelstaedet said. “Before all this happened, well, I wouldn’t call it golfing, but I was out there hitting the ball.

“The biggest problem is I can’t get enough on the ball,” Mittelstaedt said. “You always want to kill it and drive it a million miles.”

Mittelstaedt, 75, who also hunts, competes in a variety of golf tournaments, such as the week-long National Disabled Veterans TEE Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa.

“At the TEE tournament last year, you play best ball and a number of them were my drives,” said Mittelsteadt, who has traded distance for accuracy. “The other guys were killing it and winding up in the woods or the creek. Mine’s on the fairway. It’s not going a million miles, but you’ve got to use my ball because it’s playable.”

Martinez jokes about his multi-sport swing, but is serious about the impact of the PGA Hope program.

Under the watchful eye of an instructor, Martinez addresses the driving-range golf ball, slowly draws his club back like a pro in a how-to video — and then unleashes a wicked full-throttle swing better suited for his next softball game.

The Army National Guard Veteran punctuates the slice-producing effort with a laugh and then gratefully accepts the next round of coaching.

“I loved it last year,” said Martinez, in his second year with the program. “One of my favorite lessons was the sand trap lesson … because, like in baseball, you choke up on your bat, you choke up on that club and you open it and you push the sand and it’s the sand that lofts the ball up in the air and out of the bunker.

“After I tried that a few times, I was like, ‘Look at me!’ he said. “I’m making it happen.”

Army Veteran Carissa DiPietro

“I love golf. It’s against myself. I’m only trying to do better,” said Army Veteran Carissa DiPietro.

DiPietro, an Army Veteran, is the lone female in the program this year. She talks openly about her struggles since the death of her 5-year-old daughter in 2001.

“Four years ago, I wasn’t getting out of bed,” DiPietro said. “My depression hit an all-time high. And I never thought I’d live to 40 and I turned 40 last year. This month is my 41st birthday. Whatever gets me out of bed and keeps me alive.”

Golf provides a therapeutic outlet, DiPietro said and she was extremely excited about immediate improvement, which she credited to Erika Pirkl, player development coordinator for the Wisconsin PGA and a volunteer instructor.

“Just the swing alone,” DiPietro said. “That’s what was keeping me so inconsistent. Just her teaching me the swing and the movement and that it’s similar to the sports I used to play — softball and volleyball.

“I love golf. It’s against myself. I’m only trying to do better,” she said. “This is really relaxing for me because my husband’s a lot better than I am and I’m very inconsistent. That’s why I want to do this.”

Mittelstaedt missed the first week of this year’s sessions because of a volunteer commitment. He often helps college students learn what it’s like to use a wheelchair and also volunteers at the Milwaukee VA.

“There have been people who have done so much for me,” he said. “I can go out and play anytime. It’s better to give once in a while.”


Jim Hoehn is a public affairs specialist at the Milwaukee VA Medical CenterJim Hoehn is a public affairs specialist at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.

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14 Comments

  1. jeffrey r mather June 25, 2018 at 10:38

    This is a great program. The pros are very patient. Only problem is I always hear about the dates after its over. Milwaukee VA please put out dates for next year. With a shattered elbow and half my hand having almost no feeling I can’t drive as far but they helped me last year adapt to my injuries and it improved my game by 3 strokes last year. Thanks again.

  2. Yeong A Choi June 24, 2018 at 14:41

    Bulletins above are thrilling. Respectable, would you prepare something to contact my opinions? Amm, you know we(you and I) need to prepare upcoming changes in time or in mind or in nature. I have a stunning skills and knowledges etc, as well. Well, bye !

    Yeong A Choi (Ph.D)
    June 25, 2018

  3. Keith Howard June 23, 2018 at 10:25

    Anything like this in the DC / Northern Virginia area?

  4. Robert B Palin Sr June 22, 2018 at 16:40

    Looking for a similar program in western NC. I’m disabled Vietnam Vet with Parkinson’s disease related to Agent Orange exposure. I look forward to your response.

  5. Lynette Peavey June 22, 2018 at 14:30

    How can our VFW District get more information so we can consider starting a similar Program in Northern California?

  6. Jersey Jeanne Goldy-Sanitate, MS-OD June 22, 2018 at 14:29

    Are there any PGA HOPE programs in Delaware? I am a wheelie (100% P&T SC for Spinal Cord Injury) and thanks to Independence Fund, I was able to get a Paragolfer. I have trouble with some public courses letting me use my Paragolfer. Is there an ADA law that staes they cannot deny me the use of my Paragolfer since they do not have an accessible golf cart?
    I live in southern DE, Rehoboth Beach. Thank you

  7. Rick Jones June 22, 2018 at 13:24

    Is there anything like this in the Portland,Ore area?

  8. Suzy Schneider June 22, 2018 at 11:00

    Great write up on PGA HOPE. We are doing it out in Northern CA and the program is growing. Our Pros love teaching and the veterans love swinging the golf club.

  9. Regina Cerna June 22, 2018 at 10:42

    Do you have any information on a PGA HOPE in the San Antonio, Texas area?

  10. Thomas G Magaro June 22, 2018 at 09:39

    I am disabled and would like to be able to play golf. I’ve played since I was 10, but due to an on the job injury, I have not been able to play. I recently had corrective surgeries, but can’t afford green fees

  11. Thomas G Magaro June 22, 2018 at 09:36

    I would like information on joining PGA Hope in the San Antonio, TX

  12. Jim Dewitz June 22, 2018 at 09:34

    This is an awesome program. Can you make it available to post on Facebook, etc.?

    • Jim Dewitz June 22, 2018 at 09:37

      Can you make this available to post on Facebook etc,?

  13. Jerome R Abbott June 21, 2018 at 17:28

    Is there any programs like this in Menifee, California? I would love the opportunity to play!

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