Since 1987, MMJGA has been giving Twin Cities youth a chance to learn the great game of golf and to earn extra income and life skills through caddying.
The results have been wonderful. We began our journey as a caddie program at Theodore Wirth Golf Course, and have re-directed our focus to placing our participants at the best private golf courses across the metro. Our mostly volunteer team trains up to 40 youth annually and provides ongoing resources for them throughout the season. Hundreds of our graduates have gone on to earn MMJGA scholarships, pursue college educations, grow friendships from the program and develop a lifelong love for the game of golf.
On the course, in partnership with the Tiger Woods Foundation, several of our participants had the opportunity to work hands-on with Tiger himself. This operated as a springboard of sorts for many of our participants, including two who received hefty athletic scholarships to play golf at Kansas State and Concordia University.
But the true focus of our program in recent years has been specifically on the caddie portion. At our core we are a program designed to provide professional opportunities. Caddying is more than just walking around a course; it’s an opportunity to learn responsibility and nurture professional contacts for the future. In fact, one of our recent graduates received an internship – and later a full time position – with Mortenson Construction because of connections he made caddying for one of their top executives.
The anecdotal success stories of participants and parents alike are what drives this program. One of our graduates from decades ago may have summed it up best:
MMJGA began with a simple observation: if you give kids a chance, teach them a life skill, expose them to opportunity and surround them with the support, discipline and direction of a timeless sport, they will flourish. Since 1997, MMJGA has been giving inner-city, low-income and minority youth a chance to learn the great game of golf and to earn extra income and life skills through caddying.
The results have been wonderful. We began our journey as a caddie program at Theodore Wirth Golf Course, and have re-directed our focus to placing our participants at the best private golf courses across the metro. Our mostly volunteer team trains up to 40 youth annually and provides ongoing resources for them throughout the season. Hundreds of our graduates have gone on to earn MMJGA scholarships, pursue college educations, grow friendships from the program and develop a lifelong love for the game of golf.
On the course, in partnership with the Tiger Woods Foundation, several of our participants had the opportunity to work hands-on with Tiger himself. This operated as a springboard of sorts for many of our participants, including two who received hefty athletic scholarships to play golf at Kansas State and Concordia University.
But the true focus of our program in recent years has been specifically on the caddie portion. At our core we are a program designed to provide professional opportunities. Caddying is more than just walking around a course; it’s an opportunity to learn responsibility and nurture professional contacts for the future. In fact, one of our recent graduates received an internship – and later a full time position – with Mortenson Construction because of connections he made caddying for one of their top executives.
The anecdotal success stories of participants and parents alike are what drives this program. One of our graduates from decades ago may have summed it up best:
