Serving in the U.S. military, as Brian Douty describes, is a family affair. His father served for over thirty years in the National Guard, his older brother serving for twenty-three years in the National Guard, his middle brother served for twenty-four years in the National Guard. Not to mention he has uncles and cousins that have served over forty years combined.
“And that’s just on my side of the family,” says Brian who went on to mention the impressive level of service from his wife’s side of the family as well.
Needless to say service in the U.S. military was a cornerstone growing up for Brian – who still is serving in Active Duty in the Minnesota National Guard where he’s been deployed five times throughout his career to places like the Middle East and Europe.
Coinciding with his heart for service, Brian has developed a deep passion for taking care of other Veterans within his community. He currently works within the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure Veterans and their families are getting the benefits they deserve and have earned by being in the military.
Growing up, Brian says he’s been playing golf since he could throw his clubs on his back and ride his bike to the golf course. He actually didn’t play the game for about 10 or 15 years while attending college and after graduating. “During that time of not playing, it never really dawned on me until I got back into the game and started playing again just how helpful golf was from a mental health perspective,” says Brian. “I do suffer from anxiety and depression from my deployments, and I also have a traumatic brain injury from an incident that happened in Iraq – but golf allows me to get away from the day-to-day stressors that life can throw at us. It gives me a chance to reconnect with myself and reset.”
Brian was introduced to PGA HOPE by way of a close friend who he was deployed with. When Brian enrolled in the program at the University of Minnesota Golf Club, he was immediately impressed with the PGA of America Golf Professionals who were leading the program, and their deemed “superpower” to teach anyone the game of golf. “I remember there were two individuals in our sessions who were severely handicapped – one in a wheelchair and the other who essentially couldn’t use the left side of their body,” says Brian. “It hit me pretty hard how good this program was for Veterans, whether they played golf before or were playing for the very first time. PGA HOPE has helped me rediscover that goodness and richness – all from just swinging a club.”
PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of the PGA of America REACH Foundation whose mission is to positively impact lives and communities everywhere through the game of golf. PGA HOPE is on a mission to change and save Veterans’ and Active Duty Service Members’ lives by helping them find community and thrive through the game of golf.
Today, Brian continues to spearhead PGA HOPE’s mission. In 2023, he was nominated and selected to represent the Minnesota PGA Section as a PGA HOPE Ambassador. In this role, he personally works with hundreds of fellow Veterans and Active Duty Service Members to connect them to local PGA HOPE programs.
This past year, Brian was awarded the opportunity of a lifetime to run for the PGA REACH Foundation in the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon – taking place this Sunday, November 2. He will be running alongside fifteen PGA of America Golf Professionals as they raise awareness and support for the Foundation’s mission. “Really the main driver and motivation behind wanting to do this was to help get the word out about the Foundation’s mission, and in-turn, what PGA HOPE is doing in the lives of our Veteran communities,” says Brian. “It’s an opportunity for me to represent the other PGA HOPE Ambassadors, represent Veterans across the United States and our military.”
As an avid runner, this year’s New York City Marathon will mark his ninth marathon to compete in – not to mention, it will be his fourth marathon in 2025 alone. Brian says that running has become another outlet for him over the last four or five years. “Just like golf and the PGA HOPE program, running allows me to get outside, move and offers a lot of the same physical and mental health benefits.”
Brian says he’s looking forward to a lot of things, but the one piece that will help him come full-circle is being in this race alongside PGA of America Golf Professionals – he says it’s an honor. He is continuously amazed at the work PGA Coaches and Golf Professionals do for Veteran communities. He says that a lot of what he’s gained through his PGA HOPE journey is due to the dedication of his PGA HOPE instructor, Adam Tilsner, PGA. “Watching the patience that he had for other Veterans and being able to use different tactics to help other Veterans learn the game and actually get better was incredible.”
He says putting on the team jersey and representing the larger Association with the PGA of America, the REACH Foundation and PGA HOPE will be the motivation to help him keep going when things get hard on race day. “
You hear stories from fellow Veterans and the things they went through during a deployment – and sure there were things that I went through as well – those stories are what motivates me… to run and represent those who still struggle with those experiences.
When Brian steps up to the starting line on Staten Island this Sunday, he will be the first PGA HOPE Ambassador to Run for REACH. He takes this fact to heart and knows how this is setting the tone for other PGA HOPE Ambassadors to hopefully pursue this same opportunity down the road. “It’s always fun to be the first one,” says Brian. “But there are nerves, don’t get me wrong. I fully know that I’m carrying the legacy of the PGA HOPE Ambassador program on my shoulders during the 26.2 miles, and don’t want to take that for granted.”
For Brian, it’s all about continuing to create that awareness around PGA HOPE and its mission. “I just want as many Veterans as possible to know about PGA HOPE and know that there is more out there for them – if I can touch just one person by way of training for and running this marathon, then I’ve done my job.”
On Sunday, November 2, Brian will join fifteen PGA of America Golf Professionals to run the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon in support of the PGA of America REACH Foundation. You can learn more about Team REACH and the runners’ journeys by visiting their Official Fundraising Page. Donations will be accepted through Tuesday, November 10.