Service Station
In Tinley Park, the Odyssey Golf Foundation strives all year long to lend a helping hand to veterans
By Ed Sherman

This article appeared in the July 2017 issue of Chicago District Golfer.
Bill Becker was a caddie as a young boy, but he didn’t take up golf until much later in life — after his 60th birthday. He then confronted a challenge most new golfers don’t face.
Becker served in Vietnam in 1968 and ’69. More specifically, he jumped out of helicopters, into highly dangerous areas.
The assignment not only left him with back problems, but also with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. He describes it as “having issues with open spaces and tree lines.”
That’s not a good thing considering golf courses have open spaces and most have many trees.
“You’re taught to be hypervigilant (in the military). I am very aware of my surroundings,” Becker said. “When I first started playing golf, I wasn’t able to fully concentrate on my golf game.”
Becker’s golf experience, though, improved when he got involved in a program for veterans run by the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park. The club’s Odyssey Golf Foundation has rolled out the welcome mat with special days and access for veterans like Becker.

Becker, 69, says playing with veterans, many who know exactly what he is going through, gives him a sense of comfort on the golf course.
“I know the other veterans have my back,” Becker said. “It makes playing golf more enjoyable.”
Becker’s story, and others like it, warms the heart of Lisa Halikias, executive director of the Odyssey Golf Foundation.
“This is exactly why we are doing this,” she said.
Halikias says the course is appropriately named Odyssey “because we’ve gone through quite a journey.”
The Halikias family opened the Harry F. Bowers- and Curtis Strange-designed course in the early 1990s as a way to bring quality golf to public players. Over time, Halikias and her husband, Aristotle, were looking for more ways to give back to the community through the golf course. They decided to focus on veterans.
“If you look through history, golf was used to help soldiers adjust after coming back from World Wars,” Halikias said.
In 2013, the foundation was formed, with the golf portion of Odyssey Country Club being turned into a 501(c)(3) non-profit facility. That means all the proceeds from golf rounds, after expenses, go to charity.
“Everyone who plays our course is making a donation,” Halikias said. “We call it golf for the greater good.”
The Odyssey Golf Foundation then went one step further with the veterans. It has a membership program with special pricing for daily-fee play and the unheard-of price of $1 for a bucket of balls at the range. Veterans quickly spread the word, Halikias said, and now the program has grown from 200 to nearly 1,000 members.
The Foundation also holds 25 or so weekly golf outings for veterans. For $15, participants get breakfast, golf and lunch at the turn. Little wonder why the outings always sell out with 144 players.
“Whoever heard of having a $15 fee to play golf and then get breakfast and lunch, too?” said Fred Hammer, an 83-year old veteran of the Korean War. “It’s really incredible.”
A highlight of the outings is the way the course pays tribute to the veterans. The course, carts and flagsticks are decorated with American flags. There is a color guard, and everyone comes to attention to say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the national anthem.

“Guys still get choked up because of all the memories,” said Hammer.
Becker credits Ed Staffan, a Vietnam veteran and the foundation’s vice president for operations, and his staff with running first-class outings. “They do a great job all the way around,” he said.
Robert Markionni, executive director of the CDGA, gives high marks for Odyssey’s overall work. Last year, the CDGA Foundation held an event in conjunction with the Odyssey Golf Foundation at the club. He said it helped intro-duce the CDGA Foundation’s mission to a new group of golfers.
“It’s really unique what Odyssey is doing,” Markionni said. “For those who may have suffered an injury, golf gives them an opportunity to get back to a more normal way of life. For some who never played, it gives them a new activity and a chance to meet new people.”
Indeed, Hammer enjoys the chance to interact and, yes, even compete with other veterans. When he was “younger” he won a long drive contest in the 80-and-over age category. His average drives are between 190–210 yards. But now he is bit older at 83, and the “kids” who just turned 80 are making it more difficult to stay on top.
The bottom line is about providing an outlet for the veterans to enjoy golf, Halikias says. She loves seeing their connection up close.
“These men all have something in common, and they feel it,” Halikias said. “They’re all brothers out on the course. If everyone treated each other the way these guys do, the world would be a better place.”
Halikias says the feedback she receives from veterans is extremely gratifying. She calls it “a small token of gratitude” for their service.
Hammer responds by saying the veterans have immense appreciation for the Odyssey Golf Foundation. He puts it this way: “The U.S. government gives us two or three holidays a year. Odyssey honors us 25 days a year. It’s just a pleasure to be there.”
2nd Fore Our Veterans Golf Outing
The CDGA Foundation and the Odyssey Golf Foundation jointly run the Fore Our Veterans Golf Outing, with the proceeds benefitting the veterans programs of both organizations. This year’s event is scheduled for Sept. 14 at Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park. Last year the event raised more than $20,000 for the foundations. Visit cdgafoundation.org for registration information.
Ed Sherman, a long-time writer and columnist with the Chicago Tribune, is the co-host of “The Scorecard” on Saturday mornings on WSCR Radio.
