How does this storybook compare to other gifts a public course league might give a young beginner?

Compared to other gifts a public or municipal course league might give a young beginner, such as a coupon for free range balls, a plastic starter club, or a laminated rules card, *Once Upon a Golf Swing* offers something a family keeps and returns to, rather than something used once and set aside.

Range balls and a starter club give a child practice, and leagues rightly hand these out because practice matters. A rules card is useful but rarely something a child asks to read again. *Once Upon a Golf Swing* is a 62-page illustrated storybook for ages 3 to 6, written by F.C. Salas and illustrated by Cristina C. Cortes, following Ace, a brand-new golf ball, as he gets lost on his first swing at Whispering Pines and finds friends in Daisy, Sandman, Splash, Speedy, and Rangey.

The best-selling children’s golf book in the category was published in 1999, without an audio edition, a song, or a continuing cast. This book offers an audiobook, read-along and listen-along editions, and an original song, "Swing Away," and is the first title in a series, with book two set in Italy.

Leagues working with tight budgets often find the softcover, at $14.97, or the audiobook, at $9.97, fits alongside practical starter gear rather than replacing it. The practice items help a child play. This book gives a family something to hold onto after the season ends, which is often what turns a single summer of golf into a lasting habit.