FREDERICTON, N.B. – After surviving a devastating harm throughout coaching, Canadian Armed Forces veteran Michael Feyko discovered a supply of restoration by way of golf. Turning gratitude into motion, he has channelled his ardour for the game to help others and strengthen the neighborhood of golf that helped him rebuild his life.
That neighborhood touches this week’s PGA TOUR Americas cease, the Discover New Brunswick Open, and its official charity accomplice, Soldier On, a program of the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAFTG) which contributes to the restoration of sick and injured CAF members and veterans by offering alternatives and assets by way of sport, recreation and artistic actions.
Web proceeds from this week’s Discover New Brunswick Open help Soldier On, together with a Professional-Am that features two sponsors, one injured soldier and PGA TOUR Americas professional in every group. Twenty-four troopers benefit from the Professional-Am golf expertise which raises thirty to forty thousand {dollars} to Soldier On.
The Southern Ont., native didn’t develop up round golf, solely turning to the game later in life as an outlet for rehabilitation.
“I performed golf the odd time a few times, if you understand what I imply, however nothing to loopy,” stated Feyko, who was born in Windsor and raised in close by Kingsville, Ont. “I performed hockey, soccer, and stuff, but it surely wasn’t till after I obtained damage that I simply sort of picked up golf as a manner of simply sort of rehabbing. After which from there ended up the place I’m at.”
His curiosity within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) was sparked in highschool, working half time at a marina with an curiosity in search and rescue.
“I used to be in Parry Sound, Ont. working at a marina, and I used to be simply chatting with the coast guard and search and rescue guys, they have been saying the army was taking up,” stated Feyko. “This was again in 1986 or 87, after which I made a decision to affix the army, and the quickest manner was to go although the Sudbury recruiting workplace. I went to the infantry, that was the quickest manner in, figuring out that at some point I’d like to enter search and rescue.”
With the Canadian Armed Forces, Feyko was within the airborne regiment as a free fall parachutist and sniper. There’s solely a handful of Canadians who’ve been given the chance to finish the U.S. Military Ranger course and Feyko is one in all them.
“I used to be within the hooked up pathfinder platoon, and I used to be a U.S. Military Ranger and a sniper. I did the U.S. Military Rangers course in 1997, and I did my sniper course in 1993.”
Throughout Feyko’s time within the army, he was first in Calgary then in Petawawa and Edmonton for 3 postings. In 1991, he was in Cyprus supporting the United Nations and from 1992-1993, he was deployed in Somalia as a part of the Canadian Airborne Regiment.
He grew to become a part of the Skyhawks parachute demonstration workforce in 1996 and took the U.S. Military Rangers course in 1997, gearing in the direction of a profession in search and rescue.
“They have been going to ship me to Trenton to do a jumpmaster parachute and teacher course to get extra {qualifications}, however I used to be not present on the static line as a result of I’d been doing simply army free fall. To go, I needed to be present static line which is mainly when you haven’t jumped for some time, you must do a refresher to change into present,” stated Feyko.
“We have been doing the jumps on Friday, and I used to be scheduled to depart on the Sunday to Trenton to do these programs, so I wanted to leap. We did a no gear bounce within the afternoon on Friday, then we did the nighttime full gear bounce and that was when one other man got here on the airplane with strains twisted. Youthful man, much less skilled has some line twists, he didn’t get out of his line twist, he hit me. Collided with me, my parachute collapsed and by no means reinflated earlier than I hit the bottom.”
Docs steered that he fell 75 toes to the bottom, practically 9 tales. It was November 21 in Edmonton. The bottom was frozen and the autumn was equal to touchdown in a car parking zone.
“They didn’t understand how lengthy it could take for me to stroll once more or how I might get better from the accidents. It was 9 bones from my waist down, proper foot, pelvis, again, and left leg,” stated Feyko. “I used to be within the rehab hospital for 3 months in a wheelchair, they stated it could perhaps be eight to 9 months, however I used to be 27 years outdated and in fine condition in addition to decided. So, I obtained up and was on crutches and haven’t sat in a wheelchair since. After three months I used to be in a position to go residence.”
As he thought of his life past the army, a path started to kind by way of schooling.
“Clearly after my harm I couldn’t pursue my dream of search and rescue, however the army was going to pay for education, so I needed to determine what I needed to do. I used to be not precisely positive, however I believed perhaps I might purse one thing in golf as a result of I performed lots with pals on the weekend whereas within the army,” added Feyko. “On the time Grant McEwan School in Edmonton had two golf packages, there was a program for common managers and golf operations, after which they’d the PGA of Canada aspect of it. I utilized for that and the army paid for it.”
“Then I obtained a membership at a course in Edmonton, and I used to be taking part in lots with the course professional on the time. His title was Ross Kenny and I simply sort of informed him my story, I used to be on crutches on the time and would simply exit, hit the ball then get again within the cart. I used to be taking part in lots and Kenny informed me to not trouble with the golf operations aspect and to pursue the PGA of Canada route. He mentored me alongside and we performed lots collectively, that was my rehab simply going exterior and taking part in golf on a regular basis, both taking part in rounds or simply hitting the vary.”
In 2001, he performed at Cambridge Golf and Nation Membership and have become a member of the PGA of Canada, working at varied golf programs in Ontario however left the game briefly to cope with extra surgical procedures from harm. His brother, additionally a member of the CAF, introduced him again to golf and launched him to the Soldier On program.
“My brother was injured whereas deployed in Afghanistan as properly, and on the time he was the senior supervisor for a program known as Soldier On and he requested me to get again into golf once more,” stated Feyko. “He requested if I needed to assist with the Soldier On golf program, so, I reinstated with the PGA of Canada and constructed the golf program to what it’s now.”
Earlier than he started working with the group, the Soldier On golf program had a event fundraiser at Beacon Corridor Golf Membership close to Toronto and ran a small camp in entrance of it. Feyko helped develop the initiative, with growth to a few nationwide golf camps, one in Victoria, one in Toronto, and one in Fredericton, which developed from a Soldier On fundraising occasion in Moncton, N.B. into what’s now a core element of the Discover New Brunswick Open.
“I don’t work straight for Soldier On, the whole lot I’ve carried out with this system has been volunteered alone time. I assist them out as a PGA of Canada Skilled and as an injured veteran,” stated Feyko. “I mainly volunteered my time to construct this system that they’ve now. We partnered with the PGA TOUR Americas and now have two PGA TOUR Americas occasions that help Soldier On, the Discover New Brunswick Open after which the next week’s Commissionaires Ottawa Open.”
The 2026 Discover New Brunswick Open runs July 6-12, 2026, on the Mactaquac Golf Course in Fredericton, N.B. and the Commissionaires Ottawa Open runs July 13-19 at The Marshes Golf Membership in Ottawa.
As soon as a supply of therapeutic by way of his darkest days, golf has change into Feyko’s outlet to create brighter days for others who traveled an analogous path.
About Soldier OnSoldier On is a program of the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAFTG) which contributes to the restoration of sick and injured CAF members and veterans by offering alternatives and assets by way of sport, leisure, and artistic actions. Soldier On is acknowledged for enhancing the standard of lifetime of the sick and injured and is a extremely seen and integral element of the Division of Nationwide Defence and the CAF’s dedication to the care of sick and injured members. Beneficiant Canadians help this system by way of donations and fundraising to the Soldier On Fund, which is managed by Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Companies.
Since 2007, Soldier On has supported over 12,000 sick and injured members utilizing sport and bodily leisure actions to allow social help, construct confidence of their talents, and understand their full potential. Soldier On offers members with a secure atmosphere to problem themselves and change into impressed in ways in which they could not have thought potential, contributing to and offering a gateway to reinforce ones’ well-being. This re-introduction to an lively way of life offers alternatives to develop new abilities, construct confidence, and meet friends with comparable challenges.
