18 Holes Foundation builds its program on research into sport-based rehabilitation for veterans, drawing on established models such as PGA HOPE and work supported by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Over 24 weeks, those principles become an active, physical path back. Golf asks for focus, a repeatable swing, and hours in open space. For people whose nervous systems were trained on threat, that combination offers something rare: a setting where attention can settle. Every session is led by certified golf instructors alongside mental health professionals.
We track each cohort at fixed checkpoints using standardized instruments: the PCL-5 for post-traumatic stress severity, the WHO-5 for psychological wellbeing, and the GSE for self-efficacy. Our evaluation starts from a simple question. We don't only ask, "Did trauma decrease?" We ask, "Did life grow?" Through the 18 Holes Index, we also look at social belonging, curiosity and a widening sense of identity, the things that turn surviving into living.
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