As we celebrate Memorial Day and thank those who have served both past and present, it seems timely that we talk about how the golf world shows its support of service members and their families. One such organization is Caddy For A Cure, which has just launched a new program called Operation Warrior Golf.

Operation Warrior Golf’s mission is to offer wounded warriors and active duty service members the opportunity to use state-of-the-art teaching technology to receive free professional golf instruction. With the help of V1 Sports, a digital media technology and sports motion analysis company, Operation Warrior Golf is able to give virtual lessons wherever a student is located.

“This new platform allows me to be able to give lessons on the go from wherever I am, and more importantly, from wherever they are,” said Russ Holden, CEO of Caddy for a Cure. “It’s the perfect tool for enabling us to achieve our goal of benefiting many more warriors than we’re currently reaching with this great game of golf.”

Caddy For A Cure was created by Holden, who has spent more than 25 years teaching and caddying on the PGA Tour. The organization offers the chance to walk next to the greatest names in the world of golf at a sanctioned PGA Tour event. Since the beginning, Caddy For A Cure has been committed to helping others through the game of golf. It is a not-for-profit organization helping others through children and families affected by Fanconi anemia (a genetic disorder that most commonly leads to cancer), Birdies for the Brave, the PGA Tour player’s charity, the PGA Tour host site charity and the PGA Tour Caddy Assistance Fund. It is impressive that 100 percent of the proceeds raised by Caddy For A Cure go directly to charity. Offering unforgettable memories to service members during the years has been very rewarding for Holden, but he still wanted to offer more.

Teaching has come naturally to Holden, who has has coached two-time Masters Champion Bernhard Langer and is a PGA Class A Professional and former head professional at Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. He has always felt golf is a great therapeutic vehicle and has used the V1 teaching platform for a number of years with some of the best golfers in the world as well as his warrior students. The price of bringing in service members and setting them up with lessons and lodging can easily add up, and the high costs and logistics have always been problems limiting Holden.

Holden contacted V1 Sports to explain his idea. As Gary Palis, vice president of V1 Sports explained, his company was more than happy to say yes.

“We have been supporters of Caddy For A Cure since its inception nearly 12 years ago,” he said. “We have watched the good that they do for so many and when Russ called about this new mission, we could not say ‘yes’ fast enough. We are proud to support this PGA Professional and his drive to assist our brave wounded warriors and active duty servicemen and women serving overseas.”

Through use of the V1 Golf App, Holden can give virtual lessons to a limitless number of students that he would otherwise be unable to reach. V1’s software can be used with any compatible smartphone. A warrior or service member can send a video of their golf swing and have it analyzed. So, students are not just getting a free golf lesson, they are getting true, professional instruction from a PGA professional.

Through Caddy For A Cure and now Operation Warrior Golf, Holden and his team are not only sharing their knowledge and love of the game, they are giving back to those who have given so much for all of us.

You can find out more about Caddy For A Cure and Operation Warrior Golf at: www.caddyforacure.com/operationwarriorgolf