Vietnam veteran Thomas Boyd drove to the PGA HOPE session for vets at Barefoot Resort a couple years ago and sat in his car in the parking lot for about 10 minutes.
“I was sitting there wondering if I’d be welcomed or not,” Boyd said. “I wanted to but I wasn’t sure at first. I just had to make myself get out of the car. I think it had a little to do with my PTSD too – fear has kind of affected my whole life. I wasn’t the same person when I came back [from Vietnam]. The fear of not being accepted, and low self esteem.”
Boyd’s initial trepidation is something shared by many of the more than 600 graduates of the Myrtle Beach chapter of PGA HOPE since it launched in 2020, and likely some of those entering the program this year.
The program that has given veterans across the Grand Strand a social group that provides comfort as well as golf lessons and playing opportunities is now also providing a unique opportunity for four graduates who are Vietnam vets.
They have been selected to represent the Myrtle Beach PGA HOPE chapter in the Secretary’s Cup, a competition affiliated with the second major of the 2026 professional golf season, the PGA Championship.
The Secretary’s Cup
The Secretary’s Cup will be played May 11 at Chester Valley Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, which is near the 108th PGA Championship from May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, Pa.
The event is an annual national celebration of PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) and is played the Monday of the major that is conducted by the PGA of America, which created and supports PGA HOPE. Participants will be at the event from Saturday-Tuesday, May 9-12.
The tournament is nine holes with a captain’s choice scramble format and features 12 teams consisting of four veterans and a PGA of America professional who takes part in PGA HOPE instruction.
The Myrtle Beach PGA HOPE team is led by former PGA of America president Gary Schaal as the playing pro.
Schaal is the executive director of the Myrtle Beach PGA HOPE program. He was drafted into the Air Force and had a tour in Vietnam as part of his six years of service.
The other team members are Russell Combs, Edward Courtney and Bobby Pappas. Boyd and Courtney served in Vietnam as Marines, while Combs and Pappas were members of the Army.
“It’s very fulfilling,” Schaal said of the Myrtle Beach team’s selection for the Secretary’s Cup. “They’re going to meet a lot of really nice people in golf. They’re going to be ceremoniously drowned in all the attention.”
This is the first time Myrtle Beach is fielding a team, and it was selected out of 624 PGA HOPE locations, including 31 in the Carolinas PGA Section, which nominates teams for the event.
The tournament is named for the position of U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs – currently Douglas Collins, who is expected to be present for the event.
“I think it was the composition of the team. To have four Vietnam veterans, and have an instructor as a Vietnam veteran is hard to find,” Schaal said. “I’m one of the only old guys around teaching PGA HOPE.”
The participants are given passes to attend PGA Championship practice rounds on the Monday and Tuesday of tournament week.
The Myrtle Beach chapter of PGA HOPE has graduated more than 600 veterans through its eight-week program, with 100 remaining as ambassadors who assist with future classes.
It is based out of the Project Golf headquarters on the back side of the large driving range at Barefoot Resort. Project Golf is a Strand-based nonprofit with programs for veterans, juniors and beginners.
Organizers say it registers more and graduates more veterans than any other PGA HOPE chapter in the country.
“In the Sun Belt, we’re way ahead of everybody because we have a facility, we have 15 instructors,” Schaal said. “It’s a great statistic that we now graduate 175 veterans per year.”
Highlighting Myrtle Beach participants
Boyd did eventually get out of his car, and is now an ambassador for PGA HOPE.
“I have more confidence in myself now,” Boyd said. “The program has helped me out with that. It gave me some kind of purpose. It improved my game. It helped me with my PTSD and I want to help other people. I’m trying to give back.
“And just to see how they come in like I was, and see them smile and how happy they are once they learn how to hit the ball. I really believe in the mission and how it can change people’s lives and give them some hope.”
Boyd was wounded in action three times and received three Purple Hearts and two Gold Stars.
He has referred more than 30 veterans to the program, which is more than any other graduate.
Boyd is a native of White Plains, New York who moved with his wife to Little River about four years ago primarily to play more golf. He came to the Grand Strand regularly for about 12 years before deciding to relocate, and is a member of the private Surf Golf & Beach Club.
Pappas gained some notoriety for his Vietnam service.
He was featured in the book “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” written by John ‘Chickie’ Donohue and J.T. Malloy. The book was adapted into an Apple TV+ movie starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe.
The story follows Donohue’s journey from New York to Vietnam to bring beer to his neighborhood buddies serving in combat, including Pappas, in a show of support for their service.
Pappas, who graduated from PGA HOPE last fall, was told about the program and invited to participate a year before he decided to take part.
“I thought about it and thought about it, hemmed and hawed,” said Pappas, who said he has been sober for nearly 40 years. “I guess I was a little bit fearful to get involved and bring up old stuff. The movie I was in, that brought up a lot of old stuff.
“But when I came here I found it easier to talk about what was going on in my head and stuff. I found a release and a relief. Today I’m able to discuss it, which after years of therapy and stuff, this was a great opportunity for me.”
As a resident of the Indigo Creek Golf Club neighborhood in Murrells Inlet, Pappas has volunteered to be an ambassador when PGA HOPE expands to a planned class on the south end of the Strand this year.
He, like his fellow Vietnam vets on the PGA HOPE team in the Secretary’s Cup, is honored to be participating.
“It’s something I never thought would happen and something that I won’t forget,” Pappas said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to represent South Carolina and the PGA HOPE of South Carolina. I’m just very grateful that I’m included.”
