Golf books for children and teens
Children’s books about golf bring the game to life through stories, biographies, facts, puzzles and practical tips. They introduce the rules and techniques without making golf feel complicated, while encouraging patience, focus, honesty and fair play. They can also tempt children outdoors and are especially handy for keen young golfers, or anyone curious about picking up a club for the first time. This list features books by James Patterson, P. G. Wodehouse, John Feinstein, Mark Frost, Clive Gifford, John David Anderson, Shamini Flint, David A. Kelly, Richard Michelson, and Ann Kelly.
Golf books for children and teens – our recommendations
Golf books for 7-12 year olds – our recommendations
Incredible Golf by Clive Gifford, illustrated by Lu Andrade
From Scotland’s attempt to ban golf in 1457 to competitions where every player dresses as Father Christmas, the sport has produced some wonderfully odd stories. 7+ year olds can explore famous golfers, memorable events, surprising customs and useful facts about how the game is played in this highly engaging book. Player profiles, statistics, a practical guide, glossary and quiz make this an entertaining introduction for children who already follow golf and those encountering it for the first time. Highly recommended for primary school libraries.
Diary of a Golf Pro by Shamini Flint, illustrated by Sally Heinrich
Marcus Atkinson is brilliant at maths but hopeless at sport, although his relentlessly optimistic father is convinced that golf will reveal his hidden talent. Young readers aged 7+ can follow the resulting lessons and tournaments through Marcus’s illustrated diary, complete with his dry observations and comic drawings. The clash between Marcus’s practical outlook and his father’s enthusiasm makes this a funny sporting story that also wedges in plenty of information about golf.
Tee Time on the Moon: How Astronaut Alan Shepard Played Lunar Golf by David A. Kelly, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Hidden inside astronaut Alan Shepard’s sock during the Apollo 14 mission were two tiny golf balls destined for an extraordinary game. For 7-10 year olds, this illustrated nonfiction account explains how Shepard adapted a rock-sampling tool into a golf club and attempted his famous shots in the Moon’s low gravity. The story combines space history, science and sport, while the additional material introduces the Apollo missions and examines how far the ball really travelled.
Twice as Good: The Story of William Powell and Clearview, the Only Golf Course Designed, Built, and Owned by an African American by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
As a child, William Powell was refused the chance to learn golf because he was Black, so he found work as a caddie and studied the game for himself. His experiences playing without the same racial restrictions while serving in England strengthened his determination to create a course where everyone could play. This highly engaging picture-book biography for young readers follows the founding of Ohio’s Clearview Golf Club in 1948 and introduces an important story from Black sporting history.
Galaxy Golf by Derek Fridolfs, illustrated by Dave Alvarez
Marvin the Martian takes to the golf course with his faithful dog, K-9, acting as caddie, but keeping a Martian out of the rough is not a simple job. Perfect 5+ year olds, this Looney Tunes graphic story tells its adventure entirely through pictures rather than dialogue. The visual jokes, expressive action and familiar characters give emerging and reluctant readers plenty to interpret as Marvin attempts to achieve an interplanetary hole in one.
Ready . . . Set . . . GOLF!: An Essential Guide for Young Golfers by Ann Kelly, illustrated by Soren Henrich
Beginning golf involves more than learning how to swing a club, and this practical handbook answers many of the questions a new player might have before stepping onto a course. Ideal for children aged 8-14, it covers equipment, clothing, lessons, practice, competitions and simplified rules, alongside golf trivia. Clear illustrations and straightforward explanations also introduce etiquette and the values associated with the game, including honesty, respect, perseverance and good sportsmanship.
Golf by John Allan
Step-by-step photographs and diagrams break down the techniques young golfers need, from establishing a balanced stance to improving their swing and putting accurately. 7-9 year olds can also learn about rules, equipment, clothing, fitness and the mental preparation involved in playing well. Practical drills give readers a chance to work on each skill for themselves, making this a useful introductory guide for lessons, sports clubs or independent practice.
Golf by Bernie Blackall
History, rules, equipment and technique are brought together in a broad guide to taking part in golf. It introduces key skills and warm-up exercises while using full-colour graphics and sequence diagrams to make physical movements easier to follow. Profiles of leading players and notable courses add context, and the combination of introductory guidance and more detailed tips allows both newcomers and developing golfers to find useful material.
One Last Shot by John David Anderson
Twelve-year-old Malcolm has never shared his sports-obsessed father’s competitive streak, but miniature golf suddenly gives him something he enjoys and might genuinely be good at. Lessons and tournaments soon turn his private discovery into another source of pressure, just as the arguments between his parents become harder to ignore. Middle grade readers will find a thought-provoking family-based story driven by golf, friendship and Malcolm’s growing confidence help him question his belief that he must solve everyone else’s problems.
Golf books for teens – our recommendations
The Prodigy by John Feinstein
Seventeen-year-old Frank Baker is an exceptional amateur golfer with a university scholarship within reach, but his father wants him to skip college and turn professional. After Frank earns an invitation to the Masters, sponsors and agents begin circling while a journalist secretly helps him protect his amateur status. Perfect for 13+ year olds, this inspiring sports novel combines closely observed tournament action with questions about parental pressure, money, education and who should control a talented young athlete’s future.
The Greatest Game Ever Played by Mark Frost
Two golfers from very different backgrounds converge at Brookline for the 1913 US Open, where British champion Harry Vardon faces American amateur Francis Ouimet. Their parallel stories reveal the poverty, class barriers and personal determination behind a contest that helped transform golf in the United States. More mature readers teen readers will find a detailed mixture of sporting biography, social history and closely described tournament play, with the famous championship providing the dramatic centre of the book.
The Clicking of Cuthbert by P.G. Wodehouse
From the clubhouse, the knowledgeable Oldest Member recounts a succession of romantic disasters, rivalries and improbable triumphs on the golf course. Among them is Cuthbert, whose skill means little to Adeline until a celebrated Russian novelist takes an unexpected interest in the game, and Mitchell Holmes, whose putting is disturbed by nearby butterflies. More confident teens who enjoy dry humour and intricately constructed comic situations can discover ten short stories in which golf repeatedly complicates love, ambition and social standing.
Tiger, Tiger by James Patterson
Before turning twenty-five, Tiger Woods had won more than thirty professional tournaments and become the youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam. This substantial biography traces the experiences that shaped his rise, extraordinary dominance and highly public fall, examining significant moments both on and away from the course. Its dramatic, scene-led approach makes a complex sporting life accessible for sixth formers fascinated by the game and profession of golf.
Golf Is Hard by Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston
A childhood spent on local pitch-and-putt courses leads to life on the professional tour, major tournaments and encounters with some of golf’s biggest names. Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston looks back on his successes alongside the shanks, broken clubs, pressure and public mistakes that even an elite player cannot avoid. For older teens, the behind-the-scenes stories offer an unusually frank and funny view of professional competition, including the frustrations, self-doubt and stubborn desire to return after a terrible round.
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Golf resources for teachers
- The Golf Foundation’s Unleash Your Drive programme provides a six-week introduction to golf for primary schools. Teachers receive online training, weekly printed and digital resources, adapted equipment and activities linking golf with confidence, resilience, emotional control and mental wellbeing.
- The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association’s First Green Toolkit contains 13 STEM activities for pupils aged 9 to 14. Topics include minibeasts, soils, plants, wildlife habitats, water flow, calculating areas and measuring how far a golf ball rolls. The lesson plans have been reviewed with STEM Learning for use in UK education.
- The R&A’s Junior Room features the Rules Skool Open, a video series that introduces younger players to the Rules of Golf through commentary, practical demonstrations and situations encountered during a fictional championship. A downloadable junior organiser pack offers further activities and guidance.
- PE Planning offers curriculum-mapped golf units for Years 1 to 6, covering rolling, target play, putting, chipping, driving and modified games. Teachers can view sample activities through a free account, while the complete units are available by subscription.
- The PE Hub’s free KS2 golf knowledge organiser provides a useful overview of prior learning, lesson aims, equipment, vocabulary, key questions, techniques, rules and assessment criteria. It can be downloaded as a PDF for planning, classroom displays or pupil reference.
- This free KS2 Tri-Golf scheme of work includes a sequence of practical sessions, diagrams, safety guidance, differentiation ideas, pupil scorecards and self-assessment activities. The games develop putting and striking skills alongside honesty, cooperation, perseverance, concentration and respect.
- England Golf’s Junior Golf Challenge turns practice into short, game-like activities covering putting, chipping and the long game. The challenges can help teachers, coaches and school clubs introduce beginners to golf without immediately requiring access to a full course.
BISAC JUV032190, JNF054230, YAF059000, YAN053000. | Thema YNWD, SFH.
