ABOUT US
The Heart of J&V Golf Foundation Where Youth Rise and Veterans Heal.
It Started With a Simple Truth. Our story carries forward what makes us unique.
Some battles follow veterans home.
Some young people grow up without steady mentorship.
Both are searching for something.
One is searching for renewed purpose.
The other is searching for direction.
We built J&V Golf Foundation on the belief that the answer for both could be found on the same tee box.
Why Juniors and Veterans?
Because mentorship heals.
Veterans bring discipline, integrity, and lived resilience.
Youth bring energy, curiosity, and limitless potential.
When paired together, something shifts.
A Message from Our President
To our community,
After 22+ years in the United States Navy, I learned that the hardest battles aren’t always fought in uniform. Like many veterans, I returned home navigating PTSD and searching for purpose beyond service.
I found that purpose in two places: the quiet green of a golf course and the boundless energy of our youth.
For over 20 years, I’ve coached junior golfers and witnessed a beautiful symmetry. While veterans need a place to heal, our youth need a place to rise. When you place a veteran mentor and a junior golfer on the same tee box, magic happens. The veteran gains a new mission. The junior gains a model of resilience.
Through work with PGA HOPE and the PGA, I’ve seen how golf becomes a pathway to wellness. Our Community Growth model ensures that no veteran or young athlete walks alone.
Whether you are a veteran seeking connection, a parent seeking mentorship, or a donor who believes in giving back, there is a place in our foursome for you.
Fairways and Following Seas,
Thomas DeGrand
President | Founder | Navy Veteran
The veteran regains their mission.
The junior gains leadership.
The game becomes more than golf; it becomes legacy in motion.
This is not just a sports program.
It is a structured environment that supports mental wellness, character development, and multi-generational connection.
On the fairway, titles disappear.
What remains is respect, growth, and shared progress.
The Heart of J&V Golf Foundation
Where Youth Rise and Veterans Heal
It began with a simple truth: some battles do not end when service does.
For many veterans, the transition home brings a new kind of challenge — one defined by the search for purpose, connection, and peace.
At the same time, many young people grow up without consistent mentorship, searching for direction, confidence, and belief in themselves.
While their journeys are different, both are searching for something meaningful.
The J&V Golf Foundation was built to serve each of these needs with intention, structure, and purpose — using the game of golf as a pathway forward.
Our Commitment to Veterans
For veterans, golf provides more than recreation — it provides a way forward.
Through structured programs, community play, and environments built on trust and shared experience, we create spaces where veterans can reconnect with others, establish routine, and find a healthy outlet for both mental and physical wellness.
Golf offers something unique — a setting where conversation happens naturally, pressure is reduced, and connection is rebuilt without expectation.
Our veteran programs are rooted in:
- Mental wellness through activity
- Community and camaraderie
- Purpose beyond service
- A consistent and supportive environment
This is where veterans find peace, connection, and a renewed sense of direction.
Our Commitment to Juniors
For young players, golf is a foundation for life.
Through coaching, clinics, leagues, and instruction, we focus on developing not just golfers, but confident, disciplined, and resilient individuals.
The game teaches lessons that extend far beyond the course — patience, accountability, integrity, and self-belief.
We are committed to making the game accessible to all young people, regardless of background or financial barriers, ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.
Our junior programs focus on:
- Confidence and character development
- Skill-building and instruction
- Access to equipment and opportunity
- Long-term growth through the game
This is where youth discover their potential and begin building their future.
More Than a Game
J&V Golf Foundation is not simply a golf program. It is a structured environment dedicated to growth, wellness, and opportunity — serving two distinct groups with a shared belief in the power of the game.
On every fairway, something meaningful is happening.
A veteran is finding clarity.
A young player is gaining confidence.
Different paths.
Same purpose.
This is where youth rise.
This is where veterans heal.
This is where purpose is found.