How Golf and PGA HOPE Saved Veteran Christopher Garner's Life

The bullet that sits on Christopher Garner’s desk serves as a stark reminder.

Just 18 months ago, the 46-year-old Veteran from Memphis was in a bad way. He had retired from a 24-year military career, was in the midst of a years-long custody struggle over his daughter, was depressed and, in his own words, “hated life.” Garner was productive during the day, but at night, during down time, demons would storm their way into his mind.

He settled into his bedroom closet and decided it was time to do the unthinkable. The big, strong, strapping southern gentleman, who was a great athlete, played Division I college football and served valiantly with the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security wanted to end his life.

Garner put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

The firing pin struck the primer and somehow the bullet remained in the chamber.

“I honestly had the mindset, guys that I served with, ones who killed themselves, maybe they had the right idea,” he said softly. “But now I realize that it was just a stupid, selfish thing to do.”

Immediately after, mercifully, there was clarity. There was a reason Garner’s life was spared. It was time to seek help. It was time to find a purpose. It was time to do good for others who were in similar positions.

First, Garner started seeing a therapist. Next he wanted to find an organization where he could volunteer his time. His father-in-law sat on the board of directors of Alpha Omega Veterans Services, which helps take homeless Veterans off the street and re-integrate them back into society. Soon one of the biggest annual fundraisers for the organization was its golf tournament.

Garner got thinking, “there has to be something more specific about golf that can help Veterans.”

So he jumped on the computer and started searching for organizations. One of the first things he discovered was the PGA HOPE website, which had Jack Nicklaus front and center promoting the program’s benefits. PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of the PGA of America’s REACH Foundation. It introduces and teaches golf to Veterans and Active Duty Military to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

“It was an aha moment,” Garner said.

Garner remarried in 2019, had a blended family and moved to TPC Southwind. He started playing golf with his teenage son, Sammy. He always thought it helped him relieve stress, make good decisions and learn how to cope with hitting a bad shot.

“It’s priceless therapy,” he said.

Once he discovered PGA HOPE, Garner ducked into the TPC Southwind pro shop to ask if the club would be interested in hosting a six-week session for Veterans later in the summer. There wasn’t enough momentum for it to happen that quickly. Garner kept at it, refused to accept no for an answer and was diligent in following up.

Eventually, he reached out to Clayton Hromadka, the executive director of the Tennessee PGA Section. Garner called Hromadka to set up a meeting. Hromadka said he could meet the following week. Garner said he wanted to meet for lunch the next day.

“I was professionally persistent,” Garner jokes.

Garner and his wife Jacqueline jumped in the car the next morning, drove 210 miles in more than three hours and had lunch with Hromadka.

“I didn’t even have to buy lunch,” Hromadka quips. “From the first meeting it was clear that he was going to be the guy who was going to help us get this off the ground. We needed a local voice to help us solve our disconnect issue that we were having. As soon as he jumped in, within a couple weeks the program was ready to launch.”

The first session at TPC Southwind had so much interest that they found another venue and held classes simultaneously. In the last year there have been five different PGA HOPE sessions in west Tennessee. All thanks to Garner.

It’s the reason why Garner is representing the Tennessee PGA Section last week in Washington, D.C., as one of 19 Ambassadors participating in PGA HOPE National Golf and Wellness Week.

“His story, what he’s done and what he’s gone through for his wife and his family, his story is going to resonate with other professionals and other Veterans,” Hromadka said. “We’re going to make a meaningful difference in the community.

“He’s been expressing his gratitude to me. There’s no reason to thank me. You’re the one who earned this. You’ve done so much for this country. In no world should you ever be thanking me.”

Garner grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, 45 miles northeast of Memphis in what he describes as a typical upbringing. He played many different sports, only dabbled in golf, but football was his main love. He attended Middle Tennessee State to play for the Blue Raiders but had back issues and quit the team. He did not remain in school.

The only thing Garner could think to do was join the Coast Guard. He went to basic training, then the Aviation Technical Training and was stationed in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico for six years. He was an aviation survival technician, a specialized rescue swimmer who was equipped with survival training necessary to keep themselves and others alive whether at sea or on land. He had plenty of time to surf and enjoyed relaxed hours.

“It was absolutely wonderful,” he said.

Then September 11 happened, the Department of Homeland Security was formed and Garner transitioned there to work in counterterrorism, counternarcotics and counterpiracy. He cannot go into more specifics of what his duties included during that 14-year stretch – other than to say he deployed to Africa and South America – but when he was done he moved back to Memphis, moved to reserve status and officially retired in 2022.

James Davenport was the squad leader for his D-Guts team in Washington, which includes time at Congressional Country Club. The Californian and Michael Slater, leader of the Sapper squad, got together a few months ago to draft their teams of 10 from the 20 Ambassadors.

“He’s a super nice guy who was a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, so the only time we need him is when something bad is happening,” Davenport said. “For a guy that’s always ready, for a guy who is willing to put himself in harm’s way to save another person’s life is the ultimate. To have someone of that caliber be on your team, that’s the reason why we chose him.”

Davenport then went on to tell a story of how he, Garner and Aaron Ojard all tied for the lead of a putting competition earlier in the week. It came time to break the tie.

“I went first, being the squad leader,” Davenport said. “I was in my head, I gave up and I four-putted … they had their backs turned to the putt. They said there was no way they were going to beat their squad leader. So they both five-putted on purpose. For two of my guys to throw it so that I could win, that tells you a lot about their character.”

On Sunday at Congressional, just more than a year after Garner found the PGA HOPE website, he was standing on the practice green, just outside the majestic clubhouse about to start another putting contest with the 19 other Ambassadors. All of a sudden, Jack Nicklaus rode up on a golf cart and jumped out to greet the Veterans, thank them for their service and offer advice during the competition. It was Nicklaus who Garner saw on the PGA HOPE website that urged him to take action and here he was, at one of the most beautiful golf settings in the world, shaking hands with Nicklaus himself.

“To get to meet him, how special is that,” Garner said. “That’s absolutely amazing. To me, with his wife [Barbara], the amount of philanthropy they do as a couple is unreal. To be close to that just blows me away. It’s larger than life. They’re taking time for Veterans.

“I just want to keep doing this,” he continued. “They say to make sure you tell your PGA HOPE story, how you found PGA HOPE. I went and got this. It didn’t save me by somebody coming to talk to me, it saved me because it gave me the motivation, the focus and the drive to get out there and leave all that other stuff behind. That guy who tried to shoot himself in the closet. Leave him be, that’s gone. Let’s get it after it right now.”

PGA HOPE is on a mission unlike any other – to help Veterans and Active Duty Service Members thrive and find community through the game of golf. $330 pays for one Veteran to experience healing through PGA HOPE. If you believe in our mission, please make a donation today by clicking here.