(Alexandria, Va.) – PGA professionals take Wounded Warriors, Veterans, their caregivers, and Gold Star family members to the links to teach America’s patriots the great game of golf. The best sports rehabilitation tool and golf program is in full swing at Butterfield Trail Golf Club, El Paso, TX.

“We started at Butterfield Trail Golf Club in 2023 to teach our wounded, ill and injured Service Members assigned to the Soldier Recovery Unit at Willam Beaumont Army Medical Center, and other disabled veterans the great game of golf. We have refined the program to use golf as a therapeutic tool,” said PGA Professional and Links to Freedom Southwest Director, Mike Whittler. “The eight-week program takes students from the classroom to the course. We have instructed over 100 warriors and family members who are proud alums. Our staff is very proud of the program, but the real reward is gifting golf as a game to enjoy for life with families and friends.”

The Links to Freedom program brings a sense of normalcy and recreation to those Service Members who otherwise would spend the entire week in intense psychological and physical therapy.??After successfully engaging this community, Whittler knows golf is also a vehicle for social and emotional rehabilitation, not only for the Service Member, but for their families and caregivers.

The Links to Freedom Adaptive Golf Program offers a spring session comprising of eight Monday classes. Each class is approximately two hours, taught by PGA and LPGA professionals including guest speakers and lunch. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Links to Freedom has programs in seven states. Interested Veterans and their families attend the course at no cost after completing an application at www.linkstofreedom.org under the registration tab.

L2F has six principles toward supporting Service Members and their families:

• Utilize golf as a vehicle to extend therapy in a calm and serene environment
• Teach the fundamentals of the game; focus on control of motor skills, mobility, flexibility
• Provide a familiar, fun social environment using PGA/LPGA instructors and military/civilian volunteers
• Conduct skill instruction and on-course playing lessons
• Family members and caregivers are included to re-establish relationships as they learn to golf together
• Work with and recruit other complementary, therapeutic organizations to help rehabilitate the “whole person”

Participants are encouraged to arrive early to warm up and then stay for a free lunch after the day’s lesson is complete. Instruction is also offered in Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, California, and Washington.

“The program has really grown in the last year gaining momentum for our wounded Service Members and their families,” said Rob Koon, Chairman and retired Airman. “Links to Freedom continues to offer a venue to heal our military members and their families and mitigate harmful behaviors (including suicide) by teaching the great game of golf.”

Information: Mike Whittler, L2F Southwest Region Director (719) 232-9359, p72wmike@hotmail.com

ABOUT Links to Freedom: The Links to Freedom Golf Foundation (L2F) was formed to implement Wounded Warrior and Disabled Veteran (WW&DV) rehabilitative golf programs at military and civilian golf facilities nationwide. This proven model demonstrates that the golf community, PGA and LPGA of America Golf Professionals, along with corporate America, stand ready to support the WW&DV communities.