These companies and artists support the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA):
The SMGA recently received its largest single, stand alone donation from the Certified Public Accounting firm Kearney & Company. The donation will be used to further the SMGA's work supporting combat wounded veterans through the game of golf. |
 SMGA Board Member Ramon Padilla, SMGA Founder Jim Estes, and SMGA President Brian Finan are presented with a check from Kearney and Company
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The 2009 AT&T National and host Tiger Woods honored our nation's wounded warriors with a patriotic opening ceremony on July 1, 2009. Following a jump by the 101st Airborne Division's Parachute Demonstration Team to Congressional Country Club to deliver golf balls for the ceremonial first shot, Major Ken Dwyer and SMGA participant Staff Sergeant Ramon Padilla were welcomed by Tiger Woods to hit the first tee shot to officially kick off the AT&T National.
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Major Ken Dwyer, Tournament Host Tiger Woods, and SMGA Participant Staff Sergeant Ramon Padilla hit the ceremonial opening shot at the 2009 AT&T National.
SMGA Participant Staff Sergeant Ramon Padilla receives golf balls from a member of the
101st Airbone Division's Parachute Demonstration Team
Tiger Woods greets Major Ken Dwyer and SMGA Board Member Ramon Padilla at the start of the 2009 AT&T Invitational |
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The SMGA participated in the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. The show is the largest golf trade show in the world with more than one million square feet of exhibition space and 10 miles of product aisles. At the show, SMGA participant Staff Sgt. Charles Egglestion was recognized as a Leader of the Year by African American Golf Digest and the Folds of Honor Foundation (www.foldsofhonor.org) presented SMGA participant Sgt. Ramon Padilla with college scholarships for his children. SMGA President Jim Estes gave a number of radio and print interviews on the SMGA's efforts to grow the game by bringing the game of golf to our nation's combat-wounded veterans. |
The SMGA participated in the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show
SMGA President Jim Estes, SMGA Participant Charles Eggleston, and SMGA Participant Ramon Padilla
LPGA Superstar Lorena Ochoa and SMGA Participant Ramon Padilla
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The SMGA held its first annual Veterans Day
Appreciation Dinner on November 11, 2008,
at the Oakdale Emory United Methodist Church
in Olney, MD. A group of 150 gathered to
honor all those who serve, and who have
served, in the U.S. armed forces. The SMGA
presented five combat wounded veterans
with sets of golf clubs and golf bags.
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SMGA President Jim Estes presents golf clubs and golf bags to SMGA participants Mackenzie Miller, Kevin Brown, and Michael Hardiman at the SMGA's annual Veterans Appreciation Dinner.
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At the invitation of Iraq war veteran and Merion Country Club member Bill Curran, SMGA President Jim Estes led a group of six combat wounded soldiers to Merion Country Club's East Course, host of the 2009 Walker Cup and 2013 U.S. Open. Merion has hosted more USGA events than any other venue in the United States and was the sight of Bobby Jones's Grand Slam in 1930 and Ben Hogan's victory in the 1950 U.S. Open. Merion is best known for its wicker-basket pins.
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SMGA members on the first tee of Merion
Country Club's East Course
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SMGA President Jim Estes qualified to play in the 90th PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club, just outside of Detroit, MI. In addition to competing in 2008's final major championship, Jim and SMGA participants David Cook and Ben Dellinger gave a free clinic at the PGA Learning Center the day before the tournament to more than 150 spectators. The clinic was covered by Fox Sports, the Detroit Free Press, Golf Week, and CBS Sports among others; the following links provide major news coverage of this story:
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SMGA President Jim Estes at the PGA Learning Center
during the 90th PGA Championship.
SMGA President Jim Estes and David Cook at the
PGA Learning Center golf clinic
SMGA President Jim Estes and Ben Dellinger at the PGA Learning Center golf clinic
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SMGA President Jim Estes and SMGA Chairman Jamie Winslow met with Representative John Boozman of Arkansas to discuss the role golf can play in the rehabilitation programs of combat wounded soldiers.
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SMGA President Jim Estes and SMGA Chairman Jamie Winslow with Congressman John Boozman of Arkansas. |
Kyle Lograsso, a young golf prodigy who suffers from Retinoblastoma, a cancer of the retina, stopped by the SMGA booth at this year's PGA Merchandise show. Kyle and his father Jeff, a Marine, visited the SMGA booth to show their support for America's wounded warriors. For more information on Retinoblastoma, please visit Kyle's site at: www.kylelograsso.org; More of Kyle's amazing story can be seen here: http://www.sonnyradio.com/kylelograsso.html.
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Kyle Lograsso and his father Jeff, a Marine, at the SMGA booth during the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show. |
The SMGA participated in the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. The show is the largest golf trade show in the world with more than one million square feet of exhibition space and 10 miles of product aisles. SMGA President Jim Estes was recognized during the 'State of the PGA' press conference for his efforts to grow the game of golf and his work in aiding our country's combat-wounded veterans through the founding of the SMGA. To further the SMGA's effort to bring the game of golf to combat-wounded soldiers, at the trade show Tee It Up for the Troops (www.teeitupforthetroops.com) donated a Solorider golf cart to the SMGA."
CBS Sports featured the SMGA's participation in the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show in a television special that aired on May 3, 2008.
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SMGA President Jim Estes, Tee It Up for the Troops President JB Ball, and DUSA Executive Director and former SMGA participant Orlando Gill in the SMGA Booth.
Executives from Solorider, Inc., SMGA partipants Orlando Gill and Staff Sgt. Charles Eggleston, and SMGA President Jim Estes with the Solorider golf cart donated to the SMGA by Tee It Up for the Troops.
The SMGA participated in the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL.
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Camping for Charity, a Sandy Spring, MD, based organization, celebrated
its ten-year anniversary by supporting the SMGA. The organization, which has donated to local charities and non-profits for the past ten years, donated
100% of this year's proceeds from their annual camping trip to The Salute
Military Golf Association. Nearly fifty families attended this year's
trip, which was held in Little Bennett Campground in Clarksburg, MD.
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Marc Bortz is an 18 year old senior at Winston Churchill HS in Potomac, MD. An accomplished junior golfer, over the past two seasons, Marc has played in a number of Jr. Titleist Tournaments in the Maryland and Northern, VA areas. Beyond competing, Marc works part-time in the golf retail business, and this spring dedicated himself to supporting the SMGA through fundraising efforts. Marc's outreach has been extremely successful, and his donations will be dedicated to supporting our nation's combat wounded veterans through the purchase of golf equipment, offsetting the costs of professional instruction, or subsidizing playing opportunities. Marc Bortz plans to study business at either Washingtion University-St. Louis, the University of Michigan, or the University of Pennsylvania.
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Corianne King is a 13-year-old freshman at Middletown High School in Middletown, MD. After meeting Jim Estes, her golf instructor since the fall of 2006, and learning about his work with combat wounded soldiers, Corianne decided to devote her summer fundraising activities to the SMGA.
By planning fundraising activities, such as a raffle and golf equipment sales, and developing a brochure that highlighted SMGA’s role in helping wounded warriors, Corianne was able to raise $1,000. Her grandparents generously matched her fundraising efforts. In August 2007, Corianne presented a check for $2,000 to Jim Estes and the SMGA.
Corianne has been playing golf since age 8, carries an 8 handicap, is a member of the Middletown High School boys golf team, aims to attend college on a golf scholarship, and someday play on the LPGA tour.
Miss King has been active in fundraising for charitable causes since forming her own non-profit company, Stingerella Golf Company, in 2003 (when she was 10 years old). Prior to this year, she has raised over $3,000 for various charities. |
SMGA President Jim Estes and Corianne King at Olney
Golf Park, Home of the SMGA
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