CM Magazine: The Kids Book of Golf.

________________ CM . . . . Volume VIII Number 8 . . . . December 14, 2001

cover The Kids Book of Golf.
John Gordon.
Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2001.
48 pp., pbk. & cl., $7.95 (pbk.), $14.95 (cl.).
ISBN 1-55074-617-0 (pbk.), ISBN 1-55337-017-1 (cl.).
Subject Heading:
Golf-Juvenile Literature.
Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12.
Review by Cheryl Archer.
*** /4

excerpt:

Imagine that the calendar has rolled back hundreds of years, and you and your friends are shepherds in Scotland. It's a sunny afternoon, the sheep are grazing and you have nothing to do. You swing your crook at a round stone. The stone rolls along the ground and into a rabbit's hole. Way to go--you just invented golf! And you got a hole in one!

Okay, so it might not have happened quite like that, but experts say it could have. The game we know as golf has been around in one form or another for many centuries. It is now one of the world's most popular sports.

Within the first two pages of The Kids Book of Golf, readers are not only treated to a fun and plausible theory behind the invention of golf, but they are also assured that this is a game for everyone, regardless of age or size or ability. As well, golf can be played around the world, either with buddies, new friends, or on your own. Author John Gordon, golf columnist with the National Post and with www.golf.com, does a commendable job in the book's introduction--he inspires kids to read on and then, even for non-athletic types, to give golf a try.

This engaging, informative book is filled with interesting historical facts, "strange but true" golf trivia, and candid colourful photographs. The basics of golf, such as types of golf courses, how the game is played, clubs and other equipment, proper swing, as well as rules, etiquette and safety are covered in a format that is both comprehensive and easy-to-read. This is a great book for beginners. Anyone overwhelmed by the rules or formalities of golf will be reassured by Gordon's practical "how-to" advice. For those readers already familiar with the game, this book includes alternative ways to play golf plus handy tips from the pros and information about how they got started. Also, at the book's end, there is a list of golf's most important events in the past 500 years that should be of interest to young readers. Who would've thought this sport had such a lengthy, fascinating history!

Complete with an index and a section titled "Golf Talk" that defines golf terms, The Kids Book of Golf will provide young people with all the info they need to try one of the most popular sports in the world. Next, they'll want to grab a club and give it a shot.

Recommended.

A resident of Cochrane, AB, Cheryl Archer, the author of Snow Watch, isn't a golfer but is now inspired to make like the Scots, grab a club, and give golf a try.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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