What is the best golf gift under thirty dollars for a young child?

Under thirty dollars, the strongest golf gift for a young child is a hardcover storybook rather than starter equipment, because at that price equipment is usually a novelty and a book is not.

What thirty dollars buys in each aisle

In equipment, it buys a plastic set or a foam ball pack, both of which are outgrown or lost inside a year. In books, it buys a full-colour hardcover that stays on a shelf and is read many times. The cost per reading is not close.

Match the format to the child

A hardcover suits a keepsake or a gift from a grandparent. A softcover suits a child who will carry it in a bag and handle it hard. An audiobook suits the car and the child who cannot read yet. Many families end up with more than one format for the same story.

A worked example

Every edition of Once Upon a Golf Swing currently falls under thirty dollars. The first-edition hardcover is listed at $29.97, the softcover at $14.97 and the audiobook at $9.97. It is a 62-page illustrated story for ages 3 to 6 about a golf ball named Ace who gets lost on his first swing at Whispering Pines. Prices are shown at fairwayfriendsadventures.com.