Shooting for Tiger: How Golf's Obsessed New Generation Is Transforming a Country Club Sport

by William Echikson

Overview

While many parents encourage their children to become the next Einstein or Yo-Yo Ma, some push their kids to become the next Tiger Woods. No longer does an elite, elderly set dominate golf. A new class of driven teenaged players is transforming the game, and a series of high-profile, professionally- run tournaments determine which of these teens have a shot at reaching the top levels.

In Shooting for Tiger, William Echikson takes us inside a spirited season of the American Junior Golf Association's elite tournaments. From the fairways, Echikson unveils a fascinating sub culture: kids who have foregone traditional childhoods, families determined to produce champions, and rigorous golf academies devoted to training the world's top prospects. Vividly told, Shooting for Tiger examines the real costs of professionalizing young players and offers an unforgettable portrait of athletic obsession.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786741496
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	05/05/2009
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	930 KB

About the Author

A former staff correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and BusinessWeek, William Echikson was the Dow Jones bureau chief in Brussels from 2001-2006. The author of three previous books, he has written for Gourmet, the Wine Spectator and the New Yorker. He is now Director of European Union communications for Google.

Editorial Reviews

Adult/High School—Who will be the next Tiger Woods? Echikson profiles the lives of many promising teenage golfers. The behind-the-scenes look at these young people, with their dedicated instructors, overzealous parents, and elite golf academies, provides a glimpse into the psyche of each of the players. To be a part of this select group, many parents are either wealthy or put second mortgages on their homes to provide their son or daughter with the chance of being named Player of the Year by the American Junior Golf Association, becoming a professional golfer, or at the very least earning an athletic college scholarship. Besides time and sacrifice, parents spend tens of thousands of dollars on tournament fees, golf academies, travel, and the latest equipment. Echikson also compares the American junior golf program with those of other countries. Most notably, Sweden has taken the sport as a family event. With the AJGA's approval, the author examines the strategies and determination of many of the finest junior golfers at various tournaments. This excellent book will appeal to golfers, sports enthusiasts, and teenagers who enjoyed H. G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights (Da Capo, 2000), Larry Colton's Counting Coup (Grand Central, 2000), or Michael D'Orso's Eagle Blue (Bloomsbury, 2006).—Gregory Lum, Jesuit High School, Portland, OR

School Library Journal

Don Van Natta, Author of First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush
"With hustle and style, William Echikson yanks back the curtain on the fascinating, stardom-obsessed world of American junior golf. Far from the spotlight — and yet forever in pursuit of it — these gifted young golfers, urged on by their parents, dedicate their childhoods chasing the seemingly impossible dream of becoming the next Tiger Woods. A landmark contribution to the game's literature, SHOOTING FOR TIGER reveals the dramatic impact these athletes have made on the game they love."

Bloomberg
“For years we have read about hockey parents and tennis parents. In Shooting for Tiger, we’re introduced to golf parents”.

From the Publisher