Tyler Nguyen grew up playing at Santa Teresa Golf Club in San Jose. Youth on Course let him play rounds for $5 or less, and the course became a place he could return to again and again. Years later, he worked behind its pro-shop counter. Today, the shop carries gloves bearing the name of the company he built: forelinksgolf.
The junior-golf connection remains visible there. Youth on Course recorded more than 6,500 member rounds at Santa Teresa's Short Course in 2025, placing it among the program's ten most-used courses that year.
That loop is a better introduction to the brand than a claim about reinventing a golf glove. Nguyen began forelinksgolf as an apparel venture in 2023. Working at Santa Teresa, he noticed how often golfers came in for replacement gloves. He eventually narrowed his focus to the piece of gear that sits between a player's hand and the club.
"Golf gloves are equipment, not accessories," Nguyen says. It is a simple argument, but a useful design test: a glove has to fit, grip, preserve feel and survive enough rounds to earn another purchase. A logo alone cannot do that work.
A brand built around one category
The first glove was not the one Nguyen wanted to sell. After an early production attempt disappointed him, he traveled to Indonesia and worked with a smaller manufacturer on the fit and leather. He describes the result, Cabsoft, as a glove made to balance a close, soft feel with durability. His account of the process appears in a first-person essay for Youth on Course, and GOLF reported the glove-only pivot in 2025.
The current line has two glove designs in men's and women's versions. Cabsoft is the leather course glove; Rangesoft adds reinforced wear areas for repeated practice swings. As of November 2, 2026, the brand lists them at $30 and $28 respectively. For context, FootJoy's StaSof lists at $29 and Titleist's Players at $31. Cabsoft is competing around the established premium price point. The distinction between a course glove and a practice glove is a concrete expression of Nguyen's equipment-first idea.
I tried a few pairs of forelinksgolf gloves while reporting this story, and the feel stood out immediately. They were supple and close-fitting, with a smooth palm and fingers that felt comfortable rather than bulky. The fit and finish felt like those of a high-end glove from the moment I slipped one on. I haven't played enough rounds in one to judge durability, but forelinksgolf is going to be my go-to glove from here on.
Nguyen says forelinksgolf has sold more than 15,000 gloves, mostly through its own website, with Bay Area pro-shop placement that includes Santa Teresa and Corica Park in Alameda. Those sales and current retail details come from Nguyen; they are not independently audited figures.
What the award actually says
In July 2025, MyGolfSpy named forelinksgolf its Editors' Choice glove and Best Newcomer. The recognition matters for a small company selling a product golfers can easily pick up from established brands. MyGolfSpy's editor praised the glove's fit, feel and apparent durability after his own use.
A return on the $5 round
Nguyen's connection to Youth on Course predates the business. In his account, the program made frequent junior rounds affordable for his family and kept Santa Teresa within reach. The nonprofit works with participating courses to subsidize member rounds so juniors can play for $5 or less.
Forelinksgolf now makes a contribution tied to glove sales. Its current giving FAQ specifies $2 per online glove sale and $1 per in-store Cabsoft sale. Nguyen says the partnership has helped subsidize more than 5,500 junior rounds and that he wants the company eventually to help fund one million.
Nguyen's mission resonated with me because it begins with a real memory: he was the kid who could play because a round cost $5. Now he's a young entrepreneur taking on one of golf's most established product categories while trying to create that chance for someone else. I admire the passion he brings to both sides of the work: making a glove golfers will choose for its feel, and using the business to help more juniors find their way onto a course.
The million-round ambition is still distant, and forelinksgolf's gloves have to prove themselves over many golfers and many rounds. Nguyen has given the company a clear test: make a glove that earns its place in a player's bag, then use its sales to open the course to someone else.