SMGA and Folds of Honor Partner to Help Disabled U.S. Veterans through the Game of Golf

Win a raffle and play golf with NFL legends Jerry Rice, Chris Doleman and 25 U.S. disabled veterans on the great links of Ireland 

Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA) and Golf Digest Irish Tours, in partnership with Warriors for Freedom Foundation and Folds of Honor Foundation, have joined forces with NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, a scratch golfer, and NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman, a 3-handicap, to help disabled U.S. veterans recover from their injuries through the great game of golf.

Staff Sgt. Ramon Padilla (Ret.)

This fabulous prize includes golf at Waterville, Lahinch, Tralee, Old Head, Dooks and Ballybunion, flights, accommodations, caddies or carts and all meals. This once-in-a-lifetime golf trip will take place September 13-20, 2014, and you could be going for just $10.

Here’s how the raffle works:
Online at www.freedomtourireland.com, you can buy one ticket for $10; three tickets for $25; five tickets for $35; seven tickets and an SMGA Nike golf shirt for $125; 10 tickets and an SMGA Nike wind-shirt for $175; 15 tickets and an SMGA Nike golf bag for $375.

One lucky winner, to be selected on June 10, 2014, will join the 25 wounded veterans and NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Chris Doleman on the Freedom Golf Tour of Ireland.

Says Chris Doleman: “I totally believe in the mission of the Salute Military Golf Association, using golf to improve disabled veterans’ recovery and gain a better quality of life for them and their families.”

Adds Jerry Rice: “Now, Golf Digest Irish Tours is taking that recovery one step further with this fabulous trip to Ireland. We must never forget the sacrifices made by our veterans, and we should always be proud of their inspirational achievements. We’re very excited and honored to be helping these heroes in any way we can. I hope everyone buys a raffle ticket and we raise as much money as possible to support the SMGA’s nine golf programs around the United States.”

Jamie Winslow, co-founder of SMGA, said, “We are very grateful that Jerry Rice and Chris Doleman have teamed up with SMGA and Golf Digest Irish Tours. They are fantastic role models, and together we will help raise much needed awareness for the wounded men and women who have stepped forward to serve this great nation of ours.”

Fourteen months ago, Golf Digest Irish Tours founder Linton Walsh brought 11 disabled veterans to Ireland for a once-in-a-lifetime golfing experience on the greatest courses the country has to offer. The trip was a huge success, and because of the positive feedback and response of the participating veterans, the trip planners have decided to create a new trip, this time concentrating on the Southwest. The disabled veterans and Ambassador/Donors will play Ballybunion, Lahinch, Tralee, Waterville, Dooks and Old Head. They will stay at the Killarney Plaza Hotel and Dromoland Castle, two of Ireland’s iconic and most luxurious guest accommodations.

All the costs for the veterans and their spouses will be funded through donations from Ambassador/Donors, most of whom will also be going on the trip, and from raffle tickets purchased online for a chance to spend a week in Ireland with NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, a scratch golfer, and NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman, a 3-handicap. Rice and Doleman were recently featured on Golf Channel’s show “Big Break NFL Puerto Rico.”

Because most of the trip is holistic—there will be rehabilitative seminars for the veterans and their spouses throughout the week—and all donations are made through Warriors for Freedom, a 501 (c) (3), up to 87 percent of the cost to the Ambassdor/Donors is tax deductible.

SMGA, a 501 (c) (3) co-founded by noted PGA professional Jim Estes, Director of Instruction at Olney Golf Park in Maryland, and Jamie Winslow, Senior Director of Government Affairs for the Sumitomo Corporation of America and a former Division I varsity golfer at George Washington University, is dedicated to providing rehabilitative golf experiences and family-inclusive golf opportunities for post-9/11 disabled veterans. The SMGA believes the rehabilitative benefits of golf can improve the mental and physical condition of every post-9/11 disabled veteran.

Warriors for Freedom Foundation, a 501 (c) (3), provides support to our nation’s military heroes and their families in the areas of outdoor activities, employment, homelessness, diversion programs, as well as promotes awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Combat Stress Reaction (CSR).

Folds of Honor Foundation, a 501 (c) (3), provides post-secondary educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled while serving our great nation. To date, more than 5,400 scholarships have been awarded through the Folds of Honor.