On Aug. 25, 60 veterans from Pennsylvania and New Jersey will gather at Riverton Country Club in Cinnaminson for the third annual PGA HOPE Cup.
PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is a military program of the PGA of America, intended as a form of therapy and rehabilitation through free golf instruction led by PGA professionals. The program aims to help participants improve their physical health, build confidence and find camaraderie with others who have served.
“It’s tremendous therapy,” said John Carpineta, an Army veteran, PGA professional and coach at Bensalem Township Country Club.
The veterans will represent 15 of the 20 PGA HOPE chapters across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There will be four veterans on each team, with each foursome joined by a PGA professional. There will be a shotgun start at noon, and an 18-hole scramble format used. The title sponsor is MedEast Post-Op & Surgical.
The winning team will advance to the Secretary’s Cup during the 2026 PGA Championship week, which will take place next May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Delaware County.
The Secretary’s Cup will take place next May 11 at Chester Valley Golf Club in Malvern.
“It will be a really cool event leading into the PGA Championship,” said Courtney Curcio, director of the nonprofit PGA Reach Philadelphia Foundation, which seeks to grow golf through its three pillars of youth, military and diversity.
At the PGA HOPE Cup, there will be full military pageantry, an American flag display by a fire department, a color guard ceremony and the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner by none other than Carpineta.
“We are definitely trying to enhance the event for veterans,” Curcio said.
As for PGA HOPE, Curcio said participants range from veterans who already golf to those who are returning to the sport to those who are looking for a hobby.
“It was established to be a therapeutic tool, and there is a wide audience of veterans who want to play golf,” she said.
While in the Army, Carpineta was stationed at Fort Gordon, near Augusta, Georgia, and had an opportunity to attend the 1964 Masters, the last of four green jackets won by Arnold Palmer.
“The first golf course I ever stepped on was Augusta National,” Carpineta said. “I was part of the original Arnie’s Army.”
Carpineta — known to most as “Johnny C” — earned his PGA card at age 64 and loves his role with PGA HOPE, noting that some of the participants are amputees. He also values the relationships PGA HOPE has built with other veterans groups, and he works to recruit VA employees to offer direct services to veterans.
The winning PGA HOPE Cup team will be one of 12 from around the country that will compete at next year’s Secretary’s Cup.
On Aug. 25, Carpineta’s team will include a Marine, a sailor and two Army vets. Every team will leave a winner, in Carpineta’s view, pointing to the camaraderie.
“It’s a really fun day,” he said. “Everybody is a brother and sister.” ••
