Saving Strokes, a program of the American Heart/American Stroke Association, began in Sacramento, Ca, in 2001 with 26 participants.
 
The vision was to offer stroke survivors an opportunity to participate in golf for pleasure as well as for physical rehabilitation.  Ten years later, this small program has grown to 16 sites in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah and serves over 1,000 participants annually.

The program sees approximately 40 percent growth annually in new participants, with more than half having no prior golf experience. Saving Strokes envelops all ages, stages of rehabilitation and skill levels to produce an environment of learning, networking and support for all involved.

Each year we receive heartwarming letters from Saving Strokes participants telling us how golf has changed their lives, the lives of their friends and the lives of their caregivers.  People who believed their days of socializing outdoors with others was over are now out in the fresh air making new friends and getting much needed exercise as a result of their participation in Saving Strokes.

The vision of the Saving Strokes programs is to provide stroke survivors the opportunity to be welcomed to the game of golf through orientation to the game and affordable golf instruction.  The ultimate goals are to make them comfortable playing (or returning to play) with the mainstream golfing public and get them back into the swing of life!