Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry Shanahan and Scott Bulger.
Jerry and Scott, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I met a paralyzed golfer at Spaulding Rehab hospital who was mentoring my son who was shot and also paralyzed. He introduced me to Bob beach PGA who was teaching wounded veterans the game of golf. Through him I met a veteran whose wife (wounded veteran) was rehabbing at Walter Reed Military Hospital. She participated in SMGA golf instructions with our SMGA founder Jim Estes PGA in Maryland. Because of my love for the game of golf and seeing the benefit that golf can have for wounded combat veterans I met with the SMGA board and developed a vision and business plan for our SMGA Boston Chapter for Post 9-11 Combat injured and Wounded veterans.
We were getting a lot of inquiries from other combat veterans because of the original local veterans telling other veterans about our lessons, outings and equipment, trips etc and what a difference SMGA made in their lives. We started on the South Shore in 2013 and now we are conducting programs in all six New England States with 4 locations in Massachusetts. Because the vision was being realized I had to change our name to SMGA New England Chapter.
We started with 6 South Shore veterans in 2013 and we now have over 125 veterans who have gone through our lessons and received custom fit sets of TaylorMade Golf Clubs. We had a couple of outings in 2013 and we will have more than 2 dozen outings in 2018. We have group memberships at local golf courses in each mini-region of New England that our veterans can play for a cart fee only. Approximately 24 New England veterans have
gone to Ireland, Scotland, The Masters and Monday after the Masters because of their SMGA New England membership. Participating in SMGA New England events is free for our Veteran members.
Has it been a smooth road?
Non Profits always have speed bumps to overcome. Some of the beginning struggles involved volunteers egos clashing and bruised with the direction of the vision. Fund raising is a constant challenge. Accommodating individual Veteran’s issues and availability for lessons etc is ongoing. Personal time is significantly infringed upon and finding volunteers with the same passion for this cause that I have is the biggest challenge for today and for sustainability of the program in the future.
However the gratification comes from the veterans themselves. Many friendships have been made on the golf course. Guys who fought together and haven’t seen each other in years have been brought back together. Injured confidence and self-esteem levels have been restored. Addiction to pain medication and alcoholism have been overcome with this new found spirit of I can beat this. Job opportunities have been created through the development of community networks of business people and veterans playing golf together. A number of our SMGA guys are giving back to other veterans through local programs they have gotten involved with due to their SMGA membership network. Smiles have replaced frowns of despair.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Salute Military Golf Association New England story. Tell us more about the business.
SMGA Believes in the Healing Power of the Game of Golf and sharing it with our Post 9-11 Combat wounded and injured veterans. We Empower Wounded Veterans One Fairway at a Time
My responsibility is creating the business plan each year which includes booking lessons with PGA professionals. Reaching out to interested veterans and securing their appropriate documents, booking outings at many golf courses and inviting veterans to play. Raising funds from individuals and through our charity golf tournament to fund the events. Networking with third parties who sponsor golf trips as well as charity golf tournaments that our veterans can play in. Taking care of the financial responsibilities and reporting back to our national headquarters on all of the above.
My previous comments on the benefits to our veterans are where I take the most pride in SMGA New England.
What sets me apart is my passion for our combat wounded veterans and how the game of golf can benefit them.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The game of golf is an expensive sport to participate in especially for veterans who are on limited government disability income. The VA system is cracking but still provides invaluable assistance for veterans.
I see many more veterans wanting to play golf for not so obvious beneficial reasons to the general public and needing the VA system for their health care program. Both the Game and the VA are needing our continued support over many years to come.
Pricing:
- A four hour round of golf can cost $50 -$75
- A set of TaylorMade Golf Clubs cost over $1,200
- A membership at a good golf course can range from $1500- $3800 annually
- Golf Balls cost $20-$40 a dozen
Contact Info:
- Address: PO BOX 1014 Concord MA 01742
- Website: www.smganewengland.org
- Phone: 978-758-0011
- Email: sjerry0512@comcast.net
- Facebook: Face Book SMGA Boston
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