Olney Golf course recently honored some of the wounded veterans who are currently undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Hospital

Published on: Thursday, June 17, 2010

By Glynis Kazanjian

A visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital, and a request for discounted driving-range balls, gave birth to what may soon become a national golf program designed specifically for wounded veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Olney Golf Park professional Jim Estes and Jamie Winslow, a Montgomery County native, co-founded the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA), an organization with a mission to provide rehabilitative services — through golf instruction and play — to veterans who suffer from “catastrophic” injuries as a result of their service in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Tim Landres, owner of the Olney Golf Park, became a founding board member shortly after SMGA’s launch.

“Without his generosity and use of facility, this would not have worked,” Estes said of Landres.

On Monday, SMGA sponsored its fourth annual charity golf tournament and more than 40 sponsors gathered at Manor Country Club in Rockville to help raise $100,000 for the non-profit’s golf program.

Obama appointee Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs for the Department of Veteran Affairs, was the distinguished guest for the event, but it was sponsorships by local individuals and businesses across the state and country that made the event possible.

“It is an honor and privilege to be in his presence,” said Steve Matthews, a Montgomery County police officer, of Sgt. Carlos Colon, a wounded Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran. Colon lost his left eye and three fingers on his right hand during a combat explosion and played in Matthews’ foursome during the event.

Along with Matthews, Billy Silk, proprietor of Master Plumbing and Mechanical in Silver Spring, Greg Matthews of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, and Keith O’Connell, a local lawyer, together paid $1,500 for their round of golf.

“I have seen some of the work Jim has done with these guys, and I’m so inspired,” said Chris Flynn, of Arlington, a lawyer who does pro bono work for SMGA and who participated in an individual foursome sponsorship.

Area restaurants like the Olney Grille and Urban Burger have catered some of the luncheons that come after each training session in SMGA’s eight-week program. The clinics take place twice yearly in the fall and spring.  

For permanently disabled veterans who complete the eight-week training program, Ping provides a free, personalized set of clubs, according to Estes. For the remaining veterans who complete the course, a set of clubs is provided through a joint partnership between the PGA, Disabled Sports USA and SMGA.

What started out with 10 veterans per clinic has now turned into 50, said Estes, who admits to being overcome with guilt at the site of a 20 year old with a lost limb or suffering from mental trauma after “defending my personal freedoms.”

More than 10,000 troops have returned with combat wounds and injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan since the first conflict began in 2001, according to a Walter Reed spokeswoman. The ill and injured, a secondary category included in the figure, make up a small percentage compared to those with major combat wounds, she said.

For Estes, the golf pro who teaches and trains more than 100 wounded war veterans each year pro bono, it all started in 2005 with a trip to Walter Reed. He was visiting a student, Billy Bartlett, a Vietnam veteran, who asked him if he would help to rehabilitate soldiers both physically and mentally.

Landres says the initial request was for amputee veterans to purchase driving range balls at a discount. Discounted golf balls were not enough for Landres. In no time, vets were using the driving range, putting and chipping greens for free.

Estes says he expects SMGA to go national in the near future with the help of Club Corporation of America, a national golf firm that has more than 100 golf courses throughout the United States. Club Corp Vice President Mark Burnett presented a check in the amount of $34,160 to SMGA at the banquet Monday evening, from funds raised over the Memorial Day weekend.