Golf Ball Drive to Support Our Military

(Page Updated 5/24/20)

To those that have supported (and will continue to support) the Golf Ball Drive to Support Our Military initiative thus far, THANK YOU. December 9, 2016, this initiative was endorsed as a Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project.

To those that have (and will continue) to donate golf balls to this project … because of you, youth of all ages can leave their legacy of pride with Indiana servicemen and servicewomen.

To those businesses who agreed to serve as drop off locations, you provided the ease of those to donate at their convenience (all while shopping in local communities).

A project launched in 2008 is now three fold … 

1 – Collection of New and Used Golf Balls and Golf Clubs in local golf tournaments used for servicemen and servicewomen rehabilitation exercises. (See Below)

2 – Collection of New and Used Golf Balls used to adorn personal messages of love, hope, and thanks painted by those in the community.

3 – Handwritten letters and cards that are collected for service men and service women in the Indiana National Guard and Active Duty Units serving in Indiana.

Project #1 Details:

Retired school administrator Terry Graves of Laurinburg, North Carolina (originally of Worthington, Indiana) wanted to do something positive for the troops stationed overseas in the Middle East.

A retired veteran, Graves found what he was looking for in an advertisement he read in 2008 in the Fayetteville Observer. A golf course in Fayetteville, NC was sending quantities of golf balls overseas. One of my Dad’s golfing buddies suggested he contact the American Red Cross for assistance.

Through the efforts of Scotland County (N.C.) former Chapter Executive Director Carol Ann Lentz (pictured below with Dad and I), Graves was put in touch with Phil Harris (below) of the American Red Cross Armed Forces state manager for North Carolina.

A secure space on a flight in December 2009 was arranged to send the first shipment totaling 2,380 balls and two sets of clubs for a shipment to Afghanistan.

“Locating lost golf balls is just a hobby, more or less. I have played golf since 1962, I’m amazed at the places I locate them. Sometimes I find them on the course, and occasionally there will be a ball still left in the hole. I found 148 of them in one day,” said Graves.

Wendy Dyer, former chapter director, stated this is “absolute morale boost” for the troops. “I was deployed twice to Baghdad through the American Red Cross, and I can tell you it’s a great outlet for the troops to receive these types of items,” she said. “It affords them the chance to take a break, hit some balls, and not worry about what’s happening beyond the walls of the base.”

Dyer stated of the collection “There were so many golf balls, and they were so heavy, that I knew it would be prohibitively expensive for an individual to ship them personally,” she said. “It was a tall order, but the folks that do the shipping (at Pope Air Force base) were thrilled to do it.”

Since then, the project has been ongoing. Graves plans to continue sending golf items through the American Red Cross for the Wounded Warriors Project as long as they will accept donations.

Photos below are of American Red Cross transport of donated golf clubs and balls to the Marines and Sailors of Wounded Warrior Battalion – East to aid in their recoveries.

Handprinted Golf Balls (totaling 1,105) plus handmade Holiday Cards were delivered to Camp Atterbury on December 20.
Thank You to these servicemen an servicewomen who accepted the donations.

Click to view all Atterbury Donations

Twenty-Three Valentine Card received from Chesterton Montessori School.
St. Maria Goretti Catholic School participated in a Valentine’s Card Drive as part of the Golf Ball Drive to Support Our Military. These Valentine’s, totaling 175, were delivered to Camp Atterbury on Friday, February 10, 2017.

---

---

As of May 24, 2020, the following totals
have been delivered to Ft. Bragg:
455 sets of clubs
157,775 golf balls

As of September 30, 2018, the following totals
have been delivered to Camp Atterbury
and Local Indiana National Guard Units:
1,839 Handmade Cards
12,714 golf balls