When Matthew Paul first picked up a golf club, it wasn’t as a kid in a junior program or during family trips to the course, it was during the pandemic, late in high school, with no golf experience at all.
“I literally never picked up a club until late in high school,” Matthew says.” What drew me to golf was that it was great to be outside, you could do it with your friends, but you could also do it alone. I really enjoyed the challenge of it, and how mentally locked in you need to be and the amount of focus it takes. Golf is one of those games where if you want to get good, you just have to play a lot, especially for someone like me who didn’t grow up playing."
His introduction to golf came later than most, but it quickly became a big part of his life.
“I had never picked up a golf club till 2020, and that’s when my friends and I would go out to Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan, MN, two or three times a week, playing $5 rounds through Youth on Course,” Matthew recalls.
That’s where Youth on Course came in. With $5 rounds at local courses, Matthew and his friends could play two, three, sometimes even four times a week around the southwest metro area in Minnesota. The game quickly became more than just a hobby, it filled the competitive void left after high school football and basketball, fueling his drive to improve.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect round,” Matthew says. “That’s what makes golf so addicting.”
Those early rounds with friends didn’t just teach Matthew how to play, they shaped his entire connection to the sport. Working at a golf course for two summers gave him a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s culture and business side. The combination of experience and passion led him to launch Pin Hunters Golf Co., a golf accessories brand that now works with some of the most respected clubs in the country.
“None of that would’ve happened without those $5 rounds,” he says. “That access was the foundation for everything.”
Since starting Pin Hunters, Matthew has gone from his first custom towel order to collaborating with major tournaments and clubs like TPC Sawgrass, Hazeltine National, and Interlachen Country Club. He credits the golf industry’s openness and generosity for helping him grow without a formal background in retail or design.
“I studied finance and real estate,” Matthew explains. “Everything I know about the golf industry came from asking questions, listening, and learning from people who’ve been around it a long time."
When asked how important Youth on Course was in shaping his journey, Matthew doesn’t hesitate.
“It was everything. I literally owe my entire career so far to that affordable access,” he says. “I wouldn’t be doing anything related to golf if it weren’t for that. Now my whole life revolves around the industry. I love playing golf, I enjoy watching it, and I’ve completely fallen in love with the business side of it too. That access made all of this possible."
Matthew’s story is one of many. Every Youth on Course member has their own journey, some start young, some pick up the game later. But the outcome is the same: affordable access changes lives, opening doors to opportunities and passions that last a lifetime.