“You reflect on it. Maybe you don’t know all the names, but you know the faces.” – Michael McNamara
Michael McNamara is an Iowa PGA Pro who’s been with GIVE since day one. He’s empowered hundreds, if not thousands, of injured and disabled Veterans to overcome their limitations through the game of golf.
It’s almost impossible to sum up the magnitude of his impact in just a few words. To understand the difference he’s made in the GIVE community, we’ll need to rewind the clock.
This is his story.
DISCOVERING HIS PASSION FOR GOLF IN THE GOLDEN STATE
Mike was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. However, his golf career originated in a place far away from The Hawkeye State.
Where? California, The Golden State.
After playing golf in high school, Mike eventually went on to become a student-athlete at De Anza College in Cupertino. He spent his college years golfing year-round, evolving his skillset while diving more into the culture of the game.
But golf wasn’t just a sport to Mike. It was an entry point into new worlds of possibility.
After college, he attended the San Diego Golf Academy before landing his first job at the prestigious Half Moon Bay Golf Links in San Mateo County. Mike spent the following years working at various high-end resorts, eventually obtaining his PGA membership in 2005.
However, he’d soon be making his way from the mountains and deserts of California to the rolling hills and prairies of Iowa.
COMING BACK HOME TO THE HAWKEYE STATE
When Mike’s great-grandmother passed away in the early 2000s, she left her house in his name. So, he moved back to Iowa to take care of it and spend more time with his family.
Mike almost stepped out of the golf scene entirely during this time, though. There weren’t nearly as many golf jobs in Iowa as there were in California, and Mike wasn’t finding what he was searching for.
That all changed when Riverside Casino & Golf Resort opened up in 2006.
HELPING GIVE START ITS MISSION AT RIVERSIDE CASINO & GOLF RESORT
“I was one of the first 5 employees hired for the golf department,” said Mike.
As an outside assistant golf professional at the time, Mike was responsible for overseeing Riverside’s outdoor operations. He was no stranger to event setups—they were a regular part of the job. However, in 2007, one gathering felt incredibly significant before it even began.
It was GIVE’s first official golf instruction session.
“I was asked to move the chairs and the tables and get ready for the first class,” said Mike. “We set up on the driving range. We did our first class and took our first photo.”
He said, “It was inspiring to see how fun and exciting it could be for them to just hit a golf ball and be outside, and have that camaraderie with their fellow Veterans.”
Ever since that day, Mike has helped us continually advance our mission of giving Veterans the empowerment, camaraderie, and accessibility they deserve.
EMPOWERING IOWA’S VETERANS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES IN THEIR LIVES
When Mike started teaching our injured and disabled military heroes how to golf, he felt like he had discovered a new sense of purpose—and he has. He’s stuck with GIVE and Riverside for the past 15 years, now serving as their Director of Golf.
And he’s been making quite the difference.
Mike has helped blind and visually impaired Veterans gain better access to the game of golf. He’s empowered paraplegic service members to adapt their play using specialized equipment and techniques. And he’s helped countless members of our armed forces find prosthetic attachments and specially tailored shafts, clubheads, grips, or golf balls that have allowed them to play like never before.
Most importantly, Mike has seen the joy return to Veterans’ eyes. It’s been happening since that very first session back in 2007.
REFLECTING ON HIS JOURNEY, MIKE IS GRATEFUL
GIVE has played an important role in Mike’s life.
For starters, it’s helped him gain a deeper appreciation for the innumerable sacrifices our brave Veterans have made in defense of our freedom.
He said, “GIVE was an opportunity for me to meet some of the Veterans and actually see the situations they were in.”
However, to Mike, gaining an understanding of each Veteran’s unique challenges is just one part of what makes GIVE special. With every class and every golfer, he truly has the ability to help change lives.
“Every Saturday, we get to see 22 new faces,” said Mike. “We get to see, probably yearly, 100-200 faces that come through the golf shop.”
Over the course of fifteen years, the number of new faces in the GIVE community has added up quickly, and Mike has been around to witness it. They’ve each grown bigger smiles. Their expressions have changed from grim to gleeful. Some have stuck around for years.
Mike said, “You reflect on it. Maybe you don’t know all the names, but you know the faces.”
There’s no possible way Mike could ever forget. After all, he’s been here since day one.
GET INVOLVED WITH THE GIVE COMMUNITY
When it comes to supporting our Veterans here in Iowa, there’s always more work to be done.
We need your help to advance our mission of providing our Veterans with the empowerment, camaraderie, and accessibility they deserve.
If you’re searching for GIVE Volunteer opportunities in the Iowa City area, you can reach out to Mike McNamara directly via email at mike.mcnamara@riversidecasinoandresort.com.
Explore our website and follow us on social media to learn more about the GIVE community and how you can support our mission.