Empowering Veterans Through Golf: How Jon DePriest’s Passion for Service Earned Him the 2024 Patriot Award

Technically, Jon DePriest is not on active duty. But in reality, DePriest has been serving all members of the U.S. Armed Forces honorably since he enlisted in PGA HOPE from its inception in 2013.

The day the PGA of America began conducting programs to Help Our Patriots Everywhere (HOPE) through rehabilitative and therapeutic golf programs, DePriest made a personal commitment to do anything he could to support Veterans and active-duty military personnel.

“Golf has a longstanding history of giving back to society,” notes DePriest, PGA of America Director of Golf at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, Illinois. “I want to do my part to respect the honor and sacrifices of our service members through the game of golf because they are our real-life heroes.”

DePriest, the recipient of the PGA of America’s 2024 Patriot Award, has spent countless hours during the past decade hosting and promoting PGA HOPE, Folds of Honor and Higher Ground programs; training other PGA of America Golf Professionals to work with Veterans; and becoming an expert in the use of adaptive golf devices. His unwavering commitment to Veterans is deeply rooted in his own family’s history. DePriest’s father was a Korean War Veteran, and he has uncles, great uncles, cousins and other family members who served in all military branches dating all the way back to World War I.

“Five generations of family members who served ignited a sense of patriotism,” explains DePriest, a PGA of America Member for 39 years. “Life on earth is about serving others, both Veterans and civilians alike.”

DePriest was first inspired to help Veterans because of his late father and the sacrifices he made while serving his country.

“My dad was a Korean War Veteran. Alzheimer’s robbed him of his brilliant mind. During our last visit a few years back, he managed to describe to me in detail some of his experiences as a 17-year-old first serving his country.

“It served as a great inspiration to further ignite my passion to honor and serve the many Americans who fought for our country."

When DePriest initially became involved with PGA HOPE at the Jefferson Barracks VA Center in St. Louis, six Veterans participated. Today, there are eight locations in the St. Louis area serving 700- plus Veterans. DePriest works with Brian Elliott in the Adaptive Training Certification sessions to prepare PGA of America Professionals to work with Veterans of all physical and mental capacities. One of his favorite programs is the one he

started two years ago at Sunset Hills that caters specifically to women Veterans. “The majority of PGA HOPE clinics were made up of men,” reflects DePriest. “After much discussion with the Gateway PGA Section staff, I started a new ‘women’s only’ program. This one-of-its-kind  program in the Gateway PGA has been very well received.”

DePriest truly enjoys his interactions with Veterans and respects the sacrifice each makes to guarantee the freedoms all Americans enjoy. He says his unofficial enlistment in the Armed Forces actually extends beyond his family to his childhood neighbor, Terry Brown.

“Terry was my next-door neighbor in 1968 when I was 10 years old,” recalls DePriest. “He was a high school student at the time who always included the younger kids on our street in all the sports activities in his backyard. He couldn’t have been a better role model for the neighborhood group of kids who watched everything he did.

“He enlisted in the Marines in January of 1969. PFC Terry Brown was killed in action in April 1969 at Quan Nam Province, shy of his 21st birthday. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon for his actions that day. Many years ago, I located Terry’s name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. His picture could be accessed from the U.S. Marines Veterans site, bringing back many memories of my childhood.

“Seeing that photo of him in and knowing he never made it home was a powerful message for me to honor all the Veterans who served with him.”