PGA helps veterans through military golf program
This undated family portrait shows Michael S. Schindler playing the Golf Championship at the United States Golf Association (USGA) World Golf Championships in San Antonio, Texas, in 2008. Schindler has been a disabled veteran for more than a decade and has been playing golf with the military to help pass his time.
“The United States Golf Association (USGA)’s military golf program is making a great impact on our veterans, especially those that are in need of physical and mental support,” Michael S. Schindler, a disabled veteran from Rochester, New York, said in a press release.
Schindler was a par 4 No. 1 player at the USGA World Senior Golf Championship this past spring. The 15-year-old, first-time USGA World Senior Champion played the third hole as a member of the US Armed Forces.
“I love playing with servicemen. I thought when I came to the USGA the other day to play golf, I would see them and I would get to play with them and maybe have them go out with me and play,” said Schindler. “It’s a great program and I would recommend it to anyone in need.”
Schindler, who has been in and out of VA psychiatric facilities in Rochester since he was 8 years old, has played more than 2,000 tournaments and traveled to 30 international events. Schindler said he has been battling his mental health issues for more than a decade. He has attended a VA Medical Center on three separate occasions, and has received treatment in the VA Hospital in Syracuse.
“Every week I would go for therapy. I was always coming to visit the VA [outpatient clinic]. So one day I went in to the VA hospital and they told me that they had put me here,” Schindler said.
Schindler told the USGA that his treatment for depression and PTSD are only a part of the story.
“I could have been having issues with depression. But I was also dealing with issues with PTSD. This is just a small part of the story,” said Schindler. “I don’t want people to think that this is all I go through, because it’s not. There’s a lot more.”
Schindler said