Student Veterans Gather for Golf, Connection, and Relaxation

Ramon Espinoza ’26 had never held a golf club when he saw an email in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs about a golf program for veterans. Intrigued, Espinoza, who spent six years in the U.S. Army, and, at the time, was acting president of Princeton Student Veterans, wanted to know if the student group could take advantage.

Espinoza approached Springdale Golf Club, a less than 10-minute walk from Lawrence Apartments, where many student veterans live, and a partnership was born that fall. It’s part of the PGA’s Helping Our Patriots Everywhere (HOPE) program, which provides free golf lessons to veterans and active-duty military.

Since then, on many Fridays during the academic year — whenever good weather and busy schedules align — up to 15 student veterans gather at Springdale to learn about the sport, network, and relax. Instructors give an introduction covering basics like grip and stance before moving on to teach chipping and putting, eventually followed by time on the course itself.

“A lot of us didn’t have any experience in golf,” Espinoza, an anthropology major, remembers of those early days. “We had no idea how it worked. It was just a fun thing to try and do, and for the sake of cohesion with the club, we indulged.”

Andrew Golden, head golf professional at Springdale, doesn’t mind catering to different skill levels, particularly when providing veterans with “the opportunity to take some time out of their day to come knock a golf ball around on the range or learn new skills, and just get away a little bit from reality.”

Richie Kertatos ’26, an economics major and Princeton Student Veterans chairman, hadn’t played golf “to a huge extent” prior to the partnership, but he became so committed that even after breaking his leg in 2024, he continued to attend “just to watch. I couldn’t play, obviously, but that’s the thing — I just wanted to be around them and hang out.”

The Princeton chapter regularly invites ROTC students and guest speakers to join them.

“It’s a great way to meet people that are connected to the University and just connected in the general area,” said Elias Fleishman ’26, an electrical and computer engineering major. For the last two years, Fleishman has purposely increased his visits to Springdale leading up to Reunions to network with alumni who come to town.

Last spring, the student veterans and Springdale board members played a scramble followed by hors d’oeuvres. This fall, the group is planning to hold what they hope becomes an annual match against Rutgers University student veterans.