By Rich O’Brien
You never know when you may save someone’s life.
Five years ago, I was eating lunch, when my waitress overheard me speaking to a military veteran about PGA HOPE. She remarked that her husband, a retired Marine, could benefit from the program.
She was forced to go back to work because her husband, was in recovery from opiates, and had lost his job. A few days later, her husband Bill was attending a mandatory aftercare program at the VA following 37 days of inpatient rehab. He happened to meet Roland Caramagno, one of the veterans in our Charleston PGA HOPE program, and they started a conversation.
Later that day, Bill “Gunny” Burge gave me a call about joining PGA HOPE. He told me he participated in sports through high school and had even received an offer to play college ball. Following graduation, however, he chose the Marine Corps and headed off to basic training at Parris Island. He served 21 years and after retiring, focused his efforts on raising, the couple’s five children.
While on active-duty, Bill had two cervical spine surgeries, which led to chronic pain and dependence on opiates. He was struggling with pain and depression.
Since enrolling in PGA HOPE Wescott in the fall of 2016, Bill’s life changed for the better and PGA HOPE rekindled his love of golf. 
Fred Gutierrez has become a brother and mentor and their friendship has been critical for his recovery. Fred also helped lead him back to Christ. It didn’t take long before Bill was ready to take the next step and serve as a peer mentor himself, an important step in the recovery process for those battling addiction.
Last year, when he was asked to become the lead peer mentor for the Wescott chapter, his recovery took another big leap. In his own words, Bill told us,
“The assignment helped give me a purpose and reason to get up every morning. I am also currently the USMC Rep for the Advisory Committee for PGA HOPE Charleston. While on the Advisory Committee, I wrote the Veteran’s Code of Conduct and co-authored the Peer Mentor Training Syllabus.”
In March, Bill was once again asked to serve as a volunteer assistant coach for youth golf camps and for Wescott’s PGA Junior League team. “Coach Gunny” quickly became a favorite of the kids.
Wescott’s Leader, Perry Green added,
“Gunny has also been very persistent in getting me out to play golf on a regular basis. He has made a world of difference as it re-energized my enthusiasm for playing the game. I owe Gunny a lot.”
Sometimes the best medicine is having enthusiastic and persistent friends that believe in you and have fun spending time with you.
The PGA HOPE program hosts an annual national championship called the Secretary’s Cup. To qualify, teams must win their PGA section’s HOPE Cup. In 2018, Westcott’s team consisted of, Perry Green, Bill Burge, Fred Gutierrez, Doug Robertson, and Jesse Duff.
The Carolinas Section’s HOPE Cup was held on Veteran’s Day at Pinehurst Resort where the teams faced a steady rain with temperatures in the 30’s. On the final hole, Bill made the crucial 15-foot sidehill putt to tie Kiawah Island atop the leaderboard and Westcott won the scorecard playoff to represent the Carolinas Section at the 2019 Secretary’s Cup to be held the following May at the PGA Championship.
In the spring of 2019, the team traveled to New York City to compete for the national championship at Bethpage, but the weather felt more like the winter as it was again extremely cold and damp. In the difficult conditions, Team Wescott lapped the field winning by two shots to claim the national championship. Each member of the team received a Star-Spangled Banner Blue Blazer that they wouldn’t trade for a Green Jacket from Augusta National.
During the past year, Bill along with Fred Gutierrez has taken on the additional role of representing PGA HOPE Charleston as it continues to grow in the Carolinas and Coastal Georgia. They have been asked to assist in opening new chapters at Parris Island, Myrtle Beach, and Dublin, Georgia.
Bill adds,
“I’m five years clean now. I credit my faith in God, my wife Milissa, my good friends Perry Green and Rich O’Brien, my brother Fred Gutierrez, and PGA HOPE for saving my life.”
Bill is now one of those showing other veterans how they can learn how to save their own lives.
For More Information on PGA HOPE visit: https://www.pgareach.org/. In Southern Ohio, contact Derek Tincher, dtincher@pgahq.com. In Northern Ohio contact, David Griffith, dgriffith@pgahq.com.
Video:
PGA HOPE Charleston, Perry Green at Westcott Golf Club, as well as, Fred Gutierrez and Rich O’Brien were featured on CBS with a piece by Bill Macatee. View it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUAq6fF-9LA
