Veterans are hitting fairways and greens to ease trauma

Cordova, 43, since has retired from the military as a major but often reflects upon the Battle of Kamdesh, even while on the golf course, where the Silver Star medal recipient embraces the therapeutic components the sport can provide to soldiers with physical or cognitive issues.

The native of Mechanicsville, Md., was among 20 veterans from across the country invited to participate in Monday’s PGA Hope (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) outing at Congressional Country Club. The event included players of varying skill levels from all branches of the military for 18 holes at the iconic venue in Bethesda, Md., that has hosted major tournaments, including the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Women’s PGA Championship.

“The dichotomy is something that I try to talk about,” Cordova said. “Like I’ve been in some of most terrible situations in the world, the worst places on the planet, and those images are with me. They’re not gone, and I vividly remember those locations.

“Yet here I am at another point in my life at one of the most pristine, exclusive country clubs in the country. Life is crazy.”

Cordova, an orthopedic physician assistant based in Colorado, serves as a PGA Hope ambassador, helping to grow interest in golf and its healing properties to veterans who otherwise might not be aware. PGA Hope is the flagship military program of PGA Reach, the charitable arm of the PGA of America.

The rehabilitative program engages with more than 7,500 veterans at 215 locations annually, according to PGA Hope. Congressional has hosted a PGA Hope tournament since 2017 and is scheduled to do so through 2037, when the Ryder Cup is contested there for the first time.

Cordova and the other ambassadors from across the country spent a week in the D.C. suburbs learning specialized techniques required to assist veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other forms of trauma in assimilating back into their communities through golf.

Like many amateur golfers, the game challenges Cordova’s ability to temper his reactions from shot to shot.

“I take a look back after a round, and I’m like, ‘Man, I really don’t like how I responded to that situation,’” Cordova said. “It really has helped me dial in, get back to an even-keeled manner, which I always strive to be, instead of letting the highs and lows take control of my emotions.”