MINNEAPOLIMEDIA COMMUNITY NEWS | Blaine Police Department Honors Longtime Volunteer Josh Swanson for Decades of Service, Leadership, and Resilience

BLAINE, MN (June 1, 2026) For most spectators attending the 3M Open each summer, the focus is naturally on the golfers, the competition, and the thousands of fans who gather at TPC Twin Cities. What many never see are the volunteers working long before the first tee shot and long after the final putt has dropped.

Among those volunteers is Josh Swanson, a Blaine High School graduate whose commitment to community service has quietly shaped one of Minnesota's largest professional sporting events for more than three decades.

This week, the Blaine Police Department recognized Swanson as part of its "Best of Blaine: BPD Community Spotlight" series, highlighting a lifetime of volunteerism that has touched not only the 3M Open but numerous organizations and causes throughout the region.

For Swanson, volunteering at the tournament is not a recent endeavor. His connection dates back to 1993, when he began helping at what was then known as the Burnet Senior Classic, a PGA Tour Champions event held at Bunker Hills Golf Course in nearby Coon Rapids. He was only 11 years old at the time. More than three decades later, he remains deeply involved in tournament operations.

Friday, Swanson and his wife, Katie, help lead the Tournament and TV Operations Committee for the 3M Open, the PGA TOUR event held annually at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. The tournament has become one of Minnesota's premier sporting events since joining the PGA TOUR schedule in 2019 and attracts thousands of spectators, volunteers, players, sponsors, and media personnel each year.

According to the Blaine Police Department, Swanson is entering his 34th year as a volunteer and has spent nearly two decades serving in leadership roles associated with tournament operations. His responsibilities extend far beyond what spectators might imagine. They include helping coordinate course preparation, volunteer management, technology installations, equipment setup, weather-related response efforts, and post-event teardown activities.

Those duties often require nearly two consecutive weeks of early mornings, late nights, and physically demanding work before, during, and after tournament week.

For local public safety agencies, those efforts are especially meaningful.

Large-scale events such as the 3M Open require months of coordination among law enforcement, fire departments, emergency management personnel, medical teams, transportation planners, tournament staff, and hundreds of volunteers. The successful operation of the event depends heavily on individuals willing to work behind the scenes without public recognition.

The Blaine Police Department noted that dedicated volunteers like Swanson have become an invaluable part of the planning and execution process that helps ensure a safe and successful experience for athletes, spectators, and staff.

National Recognition for a Local Volunteer

Swanson's dedication did not go unnoticed by the PGA TOUR.

In late 2025, he was selected as the PGA TOUR Volunteer of the Year, an honor chosen from among more than 100,000 volunteers who support PGA TOUR events across the country. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify extraordinary service, leadership, hospitality, and commitment to tournament operations.

As part of the recognition, the PGA TOUR donated $10,000 to a charitable organization of Swanson's choosing.

He selected the Minnesota 100 Club, a nonprofit founded in 1972 that provides financial assistance and support to families of first responders who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.

The decision reflected another longstanding aspect of Swanson's character: his support for public service and community-focused organizations.

"What Josh has brought to the 3M Open has been invaluable," 3M Open Tournament Director Mike Welch said when the award was announced. "To show up with a can-do attitude for 12 straight days in advance of and during event week, while dealing with his diagnosis and the health effects of it, meant so much to all of us at the tournament office and, more importantly, his team of volunteers."

A Year Defined by Courage

What makes Swanson's story particularly remarkable is that many of his volunteer efforts continued during one of the most difficult periods of his life.

According to the PGA TOUR and the Blaine Police Department, Swanson was diagnosed in 2025 with pancreatic cancer after doctors discovered a tumor approximately the size of a golf ball. Despite the diagnosis, he remained committed to helping lead tournament operations throughout the 3M Open season.

The day after the tournament concluded, he began chemotherapy treatments.

Later that fall, he underwent a lengthy surgery lasting approximately nine and a half hours to remove the tumor. Throughout the process, colleagues and fellow volunteers observed the same determination and positivity that had defined his volunteer work for decades.

Rather than stepping away from service, Swanson continued to support the people and organizations that mattered to him.

The PGA TOUR noted that he maintained his volunteer leadership responsibilities while undergoing treatment, earning admiration from tournament staff, volunteers, and community members alike.

A Commitment That Extends Beyond Golf

Although his work with the 3M Open has brought national attention, the Blaine Police Department emphasized that Swanson's impact reaches far beyond a single sporting event.

He and his wife are involved in numerous volunteer activities throughout the community, including youth hockey officiating, charitable events, fire department support efforts, and local nonprofit organizations. Their service reflects a broader commitment to helping others and strengthening the communities where they live and work.

When asked why he continues volunteering after more than three decades, Swanson offered a simple answer: the people.

That response may help explain why his story resonates so strongly.

In an era when volunteer organizations across the country often struggle to recruit and retain long-term volunteers, Swanson's example serves as a reminder that communities are sustained not only by elected officials, first responders, teachers, and business leaders, but also by residents willing to give their time, skills, and energy without expectation of recognition.

For the Blaine Police Department, honoring Swanson was an opportunity to celebrate exactly that kind of leadership.

His contributions may largely occur behind the scenes, but their impact is visible throughout one of Minnesota's largest annual events and across countless community organizations that have benefited from his dedication over the years.

As the department concluded in its community spotlight, Blaine is a better place because of people like Josh Swanson.

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