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Rating: 
Summary: Just as good for adults as for kids
Review: For every book on golf instruction, there are thousands of people who are adding constantly to their collective bagage when it comes to playing the game. This bagage we like to insist is necessary, because, after all, we fear what will happen without 101 ways to fix a push-slice.
The thing is, children can play golf, often better and with more enjoyment than adults, probably because of the exact opposite reason: they carry no or very little bagage. There are things they get frustrated with, but their minds are not overly bogged down. Certainly not nearly to the same level as adults.
The method outlined in Rudy Duran's book helps first and foremost adults to learn to unfetter their minds and learn to take a simpler approach to the game. Then, and only then, should an adult try and take on teaching a kid. The 4 area/5 step method is one that will help most anyone to get back in the game and teach others by going against many of our most basic instincts: avoiding excess knowledge.
The book is filled with the author's memories of teaching a young Tiger Woods, but many of these sections are carefully seperated from the main text to allow someone not looking for a trip down memory lane to get strait to the meat of the book. It is also easy to read, not only for adults, but also for kids in upper elementary and middle school levels, meaning you could probably let your son or daughter have a go at it even if you have no personal interest in the game yourself.
The biggest problem with the book is that it seems a tad oversimplified, especially in regards to things like grip and alignment. These two basic elements of the swing might have been done in a tad more detail, but it seems that the author is relying on this as being common knowledge for adults and something that an instructor will pass on to kids. A few more notes on shotmaking would have also helped. Imagination on the practice tee or course can get you quite a ways, but a few extra hints, like how to draw and fade the ball accurately, might have helped.
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Summary: Not Just For Teaching Kids the Game of Golf
Review: The first thing I did when I found this book on a bookstore shelf was scan it to make sure it wasn't some book about trying to mold my kid into a money-spinning tour pro, like so many tennis stars' dads. Thank goodness, it is not. In fact, if anything, this book is the opposite: it is about having fun playing golf, especially if you are a beginner, whether you are a child or not. Tiger, the book says, loved playing the game as a 4-year-old, and he just happened to have incredible instincts and skill from a very early age. What Duran added to Tiger's package was some guidance and direction via his 5-step fundamental program, and those steps and the accompanying drills can help beginners and high handicappers of any age learn the game in an enjoyable, low-stress fashion. If anything, Duran says he LEARNED from young Tiger, and passes those lessons of uncritical childlike joy in the game on to beginners everywhere. It is an added bonus that Duran is enjoyable to read, with his easygoing style and anecdotes about an early Tiger, and the photos of Tiger circa 4 years old and up are a neat addition for golf fans. So this book is really a balance... a little bit of "young Tiger nostalgia" and a lot of golf instruction, philosophy and etiquette presented in an easy-to-digest fashion. If you're buying it for the latter, you won't likely be disappointed and in fact will likely find more than your money's worth here. If you're mainly looking for early Tiger bio info, you'll find the pickings supplemental if not downright thin.
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