How does this storybook compare to other welcome gifts a First Tee chapter might give a new participant?

Compared to other welcome gifts a First Tee chapter might give a new young participant, such as a branded t-shirt, a set of tees and a ball, or an instructional handout on the game’s core values, *Once Upon a Golf Swing* reaches a child through story instead of through an object or a list.

A t-shirt or a small equipment kit gives a child something to hold and something to wear, and most chapters find those items genuinely useful for a first day. A values handout is direct but can feel more like schoolwork than a welcome. *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, each carrying a real strength and a real weakness.

The best-selling children’s golf book in the category was published in 1999, with no audio edition, no song, and no ongoing characters. This book comes with an audiobook, read-along and listen-along editions, and an original song called "Swing Away," and is the first title in a series, with book two set in Italy.

A chapter is not choosing one welcome gift over another so much as filling different needs. The shirt and the equipment help a child feel equipped. This book helps a child feel understood, and First Tee coordinators often find both matter on a first day.