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In Driven Kevin Cook delves into the ever evolving world of junior golf. The David Leadbetter Golf Academy is one of a growing number of youth camps whose mission it is to create the next great, dominant golfer. Cooks’ subtitle is “Teen Phenoms, Mad Parents, Swing Science and the Future of Golf, A Year at the David Leadbetter Academy”. You get a close up view of the pressure filled life of many of the top junior golfers in the world. This academy is really a living laboratory. These kids are given the best equipment, facilities, nutrition and instructors. They spend time in classes for academics but their real focus is on golf. The mission here is to get better at golf. The kids are looking for two things…college scholarships and professional golf. The Academy is their means to that end. That end being a professional golfer… the next Tiger Woods.

Kevin Cook is a former Editor in Chief of Golf Magazine, has been a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, and an executive editor of Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine. Cook has won the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Book Award for his 2007 book Tommy’s Honor. With a professional pedigree like that you expect something special in this book. You get it. Cook spent a year at the academy giving him great insight into the kids, the parents, the instructors, and the pros that still seek Leadbetter’s teaching and knowledge.

The kids are from all over the globe and most of them are truly motivated to be the best. Unfortunately many things can get in the way. Cook focuses on the issues that confront the students, anything from puberty to their overbearing parents can cause the kids to struggle. This academy can cost over one hundred thousand dollars per year. That can bring plenty of pressure on a teenager to perform. Leadbetter’s instructors do what they can to get the most from their students but sometimes the kids worst enemies are their parents.
In the book, Cook gives you an intimate look at one of Leadbetter’s principal students, Michele Wie and the dynamic between her and her parents. It is apparent that while Leadbetter’s advice is sought by Michele’s parents, it was rarely adhered to. Michele Wie and her struggles were an intriguing section of Driven. Read more

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About the Author

Jeff is an avid golfer and loves to write. You can see more of his articles and hear his opinions on everything golf at his website www.linkslifegolf.com