On a golf course outside Kyiv, four players move unhurriedly along the fairways, chatting as they go. All of them are Ukrainian veterans who have been through the hell of Russia’s war, lost a limb, and yet today hold a golf club with confidence.
Aug 12, 2025 17:58
Updated Aug 12, 2025 22:33
5 min read
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United By Golf is an initiative that grew out of a project by the Ukrainian Golf Federation. The Federation began rehabilitation through the sport after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in 2014. Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, it evolved into a powerful movement of veterans, volunteers, and coaches using golf as a tool for both mental and physical recovery after war.
“The project took on an entirely new meaning and momentum after the 2022 invasion,” says United By Golf director Nataliia Tereshchuk. “In the past three years, more than 800 veterans have trained with us. About 55 continue to play with us regularly. One of the players has even become a coach while missing a limb. He beats everyone in the game.”
Winning over the wounded
Before 2022, there were about 2,000 golfers in Ukraine. The country’s dominant sport is football, and there are only five golf courses nationwide. Today, just three remain operational. Even those face challenges—Russian drone debris, shot down by air defenses, frequently falls on the courses. Workers sometimes have to fill in craters from explosions. At a club near the hard-hit city of Kharkiv, they even built a special tractor attachment to collect fragments of Russian military hardware scattered between the holes.
Veterans initially met this unusual sport in Ukraine with skepticism.
“We’d walk into hospital wards and say, ‘Come play golf with us!’” Nataliia recalls. “Most would respond, ‘Are you kidding? I don’t even have a leg! Golf has nothing to do with me.’ But when they finally gave it a try: they see the atmosphere, the fresh air, the camaraderie—and they come back on their own.”
United by Golf at their 2025 tournament. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba/UNITED24 Media
For some, the decision to try golf proved life-changing.
Focus, strength, and community
Anatolii Melnychenko lost his leg in May 2023 when a Russian drone dropped an explosive on him.
“We met Anatolii a few months later,” Nataliia says “Honestly, I first thought he was 50 or 55, the war had aged him so much. He was in a wheelchair with a high-leg amputation. But it turned out he was only 40. He started coming to us, training, playing—and got hooked. Now he lives 400 kilometers from Kyiv, but he got his driver’s license, bought a car, and comes almost every week. He’s in great shape. His girlfriend jokes that we’re some kind of cult.”
Anatolii playing golf now. Photo: United by Golf
Another participant—callsign Herda—travels from the border city of Chernihiv just to play golf. During the full-scale war, she endured Russian captivity.
Herda during her miitary service. Photo: United by Golf
Herda at one of the golf tournaments. Photo: United by Golf
Volodymyr Tovkis was wounded in battle back in 2019. He has a titanium plate in his head and could barely speak during his early rehabilitation. But he tried golf and immediately knew it was his sport. For Tovkis, it’s not just about the game—it’s about coordination, etiquette, and the peacefulness of being outside the city.
Volodymyr Tovkis at the tournament. Photo: United by Golf.
Volodymyr Tovkis at the tournament. Photo: United by Golf.
Almost all veterans say the biggest draw is the community and communication, fresh air, moderate physical activity, and the importance of being able to focus.
Many veterans were afraid to drive after their injuries because PTSD had impaired their concentration, says Nataliia. Golf helps with that.
“You focus on the ball, on your own calm, on making the shot—and you do that for hours,” she says. “It’s slow meditation under the open sky.”
One of the United by Golf tournament participants. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba/UNITED24 Media
Through the sport—its rhythm and its community—veterans find a path back to life. For some, it’s the start of an entirely new one.
A wedding between the greens
“I know the wives and children of almost all our regulars,” says Nataliia. “They often come together—guys love showing their families how they play. One veteran comes every Monday with his two daughters and coaches them himself now.”
One soldier fell in love with his rehabilitation therapist. He played golf, and she worked with him. When she agreed to marry him, they had no trouble choosing a wedding venue: a golf course.
A family that came together on the golf course. Photo: United by Golf.
Recently, another veterans’ tournament was held outside Kyiv. They played in pairs under the “scramble” format—both players take a shot, and the best of the two counts.
“We mixed newcomers with experienced players,” Nataliia explains. “It’s a great way to bring the community together. Everyone was happy—even guys who had only been training for a few months ended up winning prizes.”
Across Ukraine and beyond
Veterans’ golf in Ukraine continues to grow. In addition to regular sessions in Kyiv, training has begun in Odesa and Lviv.
United By Golf has also reached the international stage. Last year, with support from the Ukrainian Golf Federation, a team of eight veterans traveled to Munich for a championship for people with disabilities.
One of the United by Golf tournament participants. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba/UNITED24 Media
“Most competitors there had been playing for 15–20 years—some after car accidents, others with birth injuries,” Nataliia says. “The only ones there as a result of the war were from Ukraine. Everyone was amazed that our guys had been playing for such a short time yet achieved such good results. Two finished in the top ten. One had been playing for only 10 months. The organizers told us, ‘At this rate, next year you’ll take all the prizes!’”
United By Golf hopes for more opportunities like this: “If you’re reading this and can help, invite our guys to a tournament! Many have never been abroad. But they have been to war. For them, this matters—believe me.”
One of the United by Golf tournament participants. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba/UNITED24 Media
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