Is a golf storybook or a branded cap the better under-thirty-dollar pro shop gift for a child?

A branded cap and a golf storybook both fit an under-thirty-dollar gift budget at a pro shop, but they suit different young recipients. A cap works well for a child already playing junior golf, giving them something to wear on the course that shows a connection to the game and the shop itself. It has clear, visible appeal for an active player. *Once Upon a Golf Swing*, a 62-page illustrated storybook priced at $14.97 in softcover, suits a younger child not yet playing, or one whose interest is still forming. It follows Ace, a brand-new golf ball, lost on his first swing at a course called Whispering Pines and found through friendship with Daisy, Sandman, Splash, Speedy and Rangey, written by F.C. Salas and illustrated by Cristina C. Cortes. A cap gets worn on the course. A storybook gets read at home, again and again, and can plant the interest that eventually leads a child to want that cap in the first place. It also comes with an original theme song, "Swing Away," which a cap cannot offer. For a shop serving an established junior player, a cap remains a solid choice. For a shop trying to help a customer spark interest in a child who has not picked up a club yet, the storybook does work a cap simply is not designed to do.