Session One

Bandon Dunes - May 2024

Within our first year of starting Loops Fore Troops, we were honored with the opportunity to host our inaugural session at the world famous Bandon Dunes from April 30th to May 20th, 2024. The session consisted of five veterans from around the United States. Over the three week session, those veterans learned the art of caddying while also having the time to connect as a family and build a brotherhood similar to their time in the military. The veterans started their journey on Bandon Crossings and then moved over to Bandon Trails before finishing their training with a week of caddying on Old Mac.

To view more media from our first session, click the link below.

Introducing Our Inaugural Class

For our inaugural session, we will have five veterans from around the United States arriving in Bandon Dunes to take part in our three week training program. We are honored to introduce each veteran below.

Bryan Cox

Bryan’s journey began in December 1994, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Assigned to HMH-361 as a CH-53E helicopter Crewchief, he embarked on a 22-year career that saw him deploy nine times, including three to Iraq and four to Afghanistan. In 2003, his exceptional service was recognized with the Marine Corps Aviation Association Crewchief of the Year Award, earned for his pivotal role in the rescue mission of Army POW Jessica Lynch. Bryan retired from the Marine Corps in 2016, having reached the rank of Master Sergeant.

Following his retirement, Bryan returned to this hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Here, he found solace and relaxation in the game of golf, a hobby he had enjoyed before his military service. The peacefulness of the course on a sunny day served as a grounding force, a stark contrast to the uniformed life he had led for over two decades. Bryan’s love for golf is a testament to it’s ability to bring both frustration and tranquility, a duality that mirrors his own life experiences.

Bryan and his wife, Hannah, have been married for 5 years. They have a 4 year old boy named Sonny. Bryan also has a 23 year old son who is also named Bryan. Currently, Bryan works part-time as a club service specialist at the PGA Superstore in Las Vegas.

Edwin Kinsey

Edwin enlisted in the Maryland National Guard in 2021, a few years after graduating from college. Feeling unfulfilled in his work before that point, Edwin decided to carry on in his family’s tradition of military service. After completing basic training and graduating from intelligence school, Edwin was assigned to the 629th EMIBn at the end of 2022, and quickly mobilized with the 58th EMIB in support of Operating Inherent Resolve (OIR) at the beginning of 2023.

Edwin’s relationship with golf started early thanks to his dad’s obsession with the game. Golf has always been a means through which they bonded. Golf also helped Edwin connect with other veterans. As he continues to serve, Edwin intends to use his passion for golf as an escape and a means to connect with others. He hopes that by participating in Loops Fore Troops, he’ll be able to learn from the other veteran’s experiences and apply their insights as he continues in his military career.

Edwin currently lives in Western Maryland and is happily engaged to his fiancé, Julia. The two plan on relocating to Michigan in the summer of 2024, so that he can begin his master’s degree that fall.

Jordan Morton

Jordan Enlisted in the Navy in the fall of 2004, and then the Army in 2008. During his 20-year career, Jordan served most of the time in Aviation. Jordan’s deployment history includes tours to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq and Korea.

In 2024, Jordan voluntarily retired from active duty service. He owes family, golf and the metaphysical unknown for his completion of honorable service. Jordan was introduced to golf by his brother over a decade ago. His first interaction with golf was awful, but it sparked a desire to play for enjoyment. Jordan believes “Golf is hard and so is life. However, golf is a reminder that persistence and resilience rewards those who insist on the impossible.”

Jordan and his wife, Amy, have been married for 20 years. They have three daughters and two French Bulldogs.

Matthew Savage

Matthew joined the Army in 2003, at the age of 18. As a Florida native, he grew up stakeboarding and surfing. His love for extreme sports made it a no-brainer when he decided to become a Paratrooper. Matthew has deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. Matthew has been diagnosed with multiple TBI’s, upwards of 150. During his time in service, Matthew completed over 150 static line airborne operations and served in leadership roles such as Primary Jumpmaster and Drop Zone Safety Officer. Matthew has completed more than 300 free fall jumps and has earned his coach rating in skydiving.

Matthew has worked in recruiting and retention since 2008 and his love for helping people is what kept him going every day. The ability to give American’s a chance to serve and then retain them in the world’s strongest Army will always be the highlight of Mathew’s military career. In October 2021, Matthew finally took the advice of medical providers and asked for help with his balance, memory loss and social anxiety. He was placed under the care of the Walter Reed TBI Clinic, where he is currently going through his medical retirement board.

Through Walter Reed Adaptive Sports program, Matthew has been given a second chance at his love for sports and has become an avid golfer and has rekindled his love for snowboarding. Matthew should retire from the Army in 2024 and is excited to see what options may come his way.

Tony A. Henry

First Sergeant Tony (T.A) Henry is from Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. He enlisted in the Army after high school in 1987. During his military career, T.A deployed to Panama, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. Throughout T.A’s deployments as an Infantryman and Paratrooper, he sustained a series of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). T.A was also injured by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in 2011, rupturing his right shoulder and tearing his rotator cuff. Over his 28 year career, T.A served in The Old Guard and conducted twelve presidential arrivals at the White House, Pentagon and U.S. Capitol ceremonies. He also participated in the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton and the second inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. T.A earned numerous awards and graduated from various military schools and specialty training courses over his military career. In 2016, T.A medically retired from the Army.

T.A was introduced to golf in 2013, by his Occupational Therapist through the then Fort Belvoir Wounded Warrior Golf Program. He quickly found that golf allowed him to connect with other veterans who were also using golf for their own mental or physical recovery. The game of golf has become a way of life for T.A. Because of what golf has done for him, T.A now volunteers his time with the Links of Freedom Golf Foundation in hopes of helping other veterans find healing through golf.

T.A is attending Trident University and working on a dual degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration on leadership. He is married to Teresa and together they have three children: Taylor, Toni and Tyler. T.A and his wife now resided in Woodbridge, Va.

Sponsors, Partners & Friends

Session Sponsor

From all of us at Loops Fore Troops, we want to thank our session Title Sponsor: Storm King. Hosting our first session within a year of the foundation’s creation would have been impossible without the generosity, support and belief from Storm King. We can’t thank them enough for all their support!

Session Location

We would like to also thank our host locations: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort & Bandon Crossings Golf Course who have graciously opened up their tee sheet and facilities to help further our mission. Our veterans will have the chance to play each course before they tackle it with a golfer. The Bandon Dunes caddies have showed an overwhelming interest in volunteering to be the players for our veterans. Their local knowledge and caddie experience will play a vital role as they will give valuable feedback to our veterans during and after the round.

Yardage Book Sponsor
StrackaLine

StrackaLine, The #1 Book (Yardage Books and Greens Guides) in golf since 2007 has graciously donated yardage books for each course that our veterans will navigate. To further their support for our mission, StrackaLine is offering all our followers and supporters a 20% discount if you use our code “LOOPSFORETROOPS” at checkout.

Clothing Sponsor
Travis Mathew

A huge shoutout also goes to Travis Mathew who helped make sure our veterans looked good on the course.

Other Brands Who Helped Us Out

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Loops Fore Troops is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization

Tax ID 93-2779516