Staff Sgt Michael Downing Annual Golf Tournament
June 29, 2026 @ 10:30AM — 7:30PM Eastern Time (US & Canada) Add to Calendar
The Cape Club of Sharon: 100 Cape Club Dr Sharon, MA 02067 Get Directions
Staff Sgt Michael Downing Open Annual Golf Tournament
Join us on June 29th for the Annual Staff Sgt. Michael Downing Open Golf Tournament at The Cape Club of Sharon. This scramble-format event honors Staff Sgt. Michael Lawrence Downing (1966–2020), a combat-wounded Afghanistan veteran, double amputee, Bronze Star recipient, and one of SMGA Boston’s distinguished veterans who learned to play golf using a Para Mobile. Enjoy a full day on the course supporting combat-wounded veterans through SMGA New England’s mission. Registration includes golf, lunch, dinner, on-course contests, prizes, raffles, and games, along with opportunities to connect with veterans whose lives are directly impacted by this event. This tournament is more than a round of golf — it is a day of remembrance, camaraderie, and purpose. Proceeds help fund equipment, instruction, and year-round programming for the veterans we serve. To learn more about Staff Sgt. Downing’s story, visit our website to view his video tribute.
These military medals honor the combat service of our SMGA New England Post 9/11 Veterans—symbols of the valor, courage, sacrifice, and camaraderie they carried into contingency operations across the Middle East. What the medals cannot show are the wounds they brought home: lost limbs, life-altering injuries, burn-pit related cancers, and the invisible scars of PTSD and TBI.
They left as young men & women with families waiting at home and returned forever
changed. Many endured the loss of close comrades, struggled with alcohol or drugs to
numb the pain, or faced battles so heavy that some took their own lives. Healing is long,
difficult, and often shared with their families and VA or Vet Center therapists.
SMGA New England fills a critical gap by offering more than golf lessons and equipment—
we provide peaceful spaces where Veterans can reconnect, share experiences, and
rebuild community. On the course, old friendships return, new ones form, and meaningful
progress happens. I’ve witnessed firsthand how the game of golf helps transform their
lives. It truly works.
Support SMGA New England’s mission—Empowering Combat Wounded Veterans One
Fairway at a Time—by becoming a sponsor, joining our tournaments, or contributing to
our programs.
Thank you for your support.