The first time a young golfer pulls a club from a bag and realizes every club inside is brand new and all theirs, they just look for a moment. They pull out the driver, then the putter, and the first thing they notice is the grip: tacky, a little stiff, never held by anyone else.
Eventually they zip the bag back up and sling it over their shoulder, just to see how it feels to carry. They show it off to whoever’s nearby, and before long they’re counting down to the next time they get to play.
For many young players, though, the hardest part is getting their hands on that first set.
In its 125th anniversary year, the MGA partnered with 2nd Swing Golf to change that.
Together, the two organizations have put nearly 600 new, properly fit sets of clubs in the hands of junior and adaptive golfers across Minnesota in 2026.
Nathan Lindberg, MGA Youth & Adaptive Golf Manager, and Michael Geiger, Growth Marketing Specialist at 2nd Swing, share how the clubs reach players and why the right fit matters so much.
For many families, cost is one of the biggest hurdles in golf. Programs like Youth on Course help by offering young players rounds for $5, but many kids still don’t have clubs to play with.
The MGA and 2nd Swing teamed up to lower that barrier.
“What we can do as a company is source equipment,” Michael said. “We worked with our partners to find special pricing for the MGA and get more clubs in the hands of kids.”
Michael explained that 2nd Swing has supported youth golf since the company started.
“When it comes to supporting junior golf in Minnesota, the MGA is really the shining light,” he said. “They’ve been a great partner to us in many ways, so they were a natural fit.”
The two organizations have worked together for years.
“We’ve had a longstanding partnership with 2nd Swing, and they see the importance of growing junior golf, especially in Minnesota,” Nathan said. “When we approached them about our goal of getting clubs to kids and adaptive golfers, it really resonated with them.”
The MGA Foundation focuses the club drive on junior and adaptive golfers who don't yet have a set that fits them.
"A lot of kids are getting into golf and might not have their own set, or they're using their grandparents' set that doesn't fit properly," Nathan said.
The MGA Foundation works with community partners such as the Solomon Hughes Sr. Golf Academy and First Tee Minnesota to reach players across the state. Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Center, which partners with the MGA on every adaptive clinic, also received new clubs for its adaptive golfers. Youth on Course Minnesota partner courses received sets for free rentals and community clinics, and staff at those courses decide which kids in their community need clubs most.
"If we give a Youth on Course partner sets of clubs and they know kids in their community who need them, we give them the leeway to give those clubs to those kids," Nathan said.
The MGA Foundation handles the first step. Staff reaches out to each family to find out the golfer’s height and whether they play left-or right-handed. Once they know which set fits, they add it to a spreadsheet shared with 2nd Swing.
2nd Swing takes it from there. “They put in the order with the distributor, and the clubs get shipped to the family’s house within a couple of weeks,” Nathan said.
The MGA Foundation also keeps some sets at its office and delivers them in person when one fits a golfer.
New golfers who start with clubs that fit them have a better chance of enjoying the game and coming back to it. 2nd Swing’s fitting team follows height-based sizing guidelines from organizations like U.S. Kids Golf to match each junior with the right set.
"Golf is a hard game, and the one variable we can solve for is equipment. It's the thing you use on every shot," Michael said.
Nathan hears from plenty of families who try to make an older set work.
"We always hear people say they'll cut down grandpa's clubs to make them fit, but the clubs are way heavier and the shafts are too stiff," he said. "Having the correct size clubs makes a world of difference for kids. It helps them learn the proper swing at a young age and gives them confidence on the course."
In June, junior and adaptive golfers filled an entire floor at Launchpad Golf for Golf Day Minnesota. Nathan and the MGA staff noticed which players had come without clubs of their own.
"We ended up unwrapping 10 brand-new sets of clubs and giving them to kids that day," Nathan said. "These kids were jumping for joy, and a lot of them took the clubs out and started using them right away."
Families often share their excitement after a delivery, too. "Parents will send an email two hours later with pictures of their kids smiling with their new clubs, and then a thank-you note shows up a week later," Nathan said. "That's really cool."
With hundreds of new sets now in Minnesota golfers' hands, Michael hopes these players stay with the game.
"Once you get the right clubs in someone's hands, you set them up for a lifetime of success in the game," he said. "The work we did with the MGA in 2026 was a massive success, and we look forward to building on it in 2027."
With a $125 gift, you can put a set of clubs in the hands of a junior or adaptive golfer who doesn’t have one. Each time you give to the MGA Foundation, you help more young golfers across Minnesota get their start.
Join your fellow golfers in passing on the love of golf to others by making a gift today.