Parents and their children will love this great book where Earl Woods challenges young people to make a difference in their lives. As the father of champion golfer Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, Earl Woods shares his motivational philosophy of life for building character. He gives young people good solid advice in dealing with life's obstacles and coming out a winner.

Earl Woods lays down those old fashioned values of honesty, courage, integrity, respect and others that are essential in living in today's world. Each section begins with a question or comment that Earl explains and later has Tiger share his own thoughts about the subject. Thus you have a beautiful combination of father and son encouraging young people to achieve excellence in their lives. It is moving to read Tiger's sharing of his relationship with his father.

Get this book as a gift for that special young person in your life. Use it as a resource in motivating your students and raising your children to become responsible men and women. Our children are precious jewels. They will make a difference in this world.

I read the book and am planning to buy three more copies, one for our church library and one for my two oldest grandchildren. Children who are looking for a hero can trust that this book will be an inspirtation to them. The principles used by the Woods family while raising Tiger Woods are extremely admirable for people of all ages. It is easy reading and gives positive ideas on how to live our lives.

Earl and Tiger Woods team up in this book to provide great advice for children on how to make the most of their lives. The book begins with an introduction by Tiger that talks about the importance of being a role model, and describes his Dad as his. From his Father, he learned to "share and care." He challenges young readers. "With your help, I believe that we can make a difference in the lives of others across the world. I challenge you to join me."

The rest of the book contains advice by Earl for young people, the same advice that he gave Tiger. At the end of many sections, Tiger adds a quote that endorses and amplifies how he internalized these messages. Although explicitly aimed at youngsters, this book is equally valuable as role model information for parents, especially Fathers.

The key message is that good habits make for a better life. The book has about 70 brief essays that detail these good habits. Space limitations here prevent listing them all, but I thought they were all well worth articulating. Here are 19 of my favorite sections:

Follow your passion, not the pack.

Did you help someone today?

Unload your past mistakes.

Shut down the jerk who teases you.

You can pick your friends, but not your brothers and sisters.

You are a leader.

You have to start somewhere.

Notice the kid everyone ignores.

Respect your body.

Take responsibility for yourself.

Complaining is for cowards.

Are you listening?

Say hello.

What are you proud of today?

Keep promises.

Say you're sorry.

Say thank you.

Ask others about themselves.

Read newspapers.

Tiger Woods fans will revel in some of the stories in the book. One of my favorites is about Tiger when he was five. Earl and Tiger were watching a news program, and a story came on about children starving during the famine and civil war in Ethiopia. Earl told Tiger that a friend of Earl's was going to Ethiopia to help. Without another word, Tiger went into his room and brought back some of his cherished gold coins he collected and asked his father to send them to help the children in Ethiopia. Any parent would be proud to have such a child, even if he couldn't play golf!

Tiger's great golf ability is handled well in the book. Earl and Tiger make it clear that how well you hit the ball doesn't matter, it's what kind of person you are that counts. This message comes through loud and clear, and should help steer some young people away from the frivolous lives that many professional athletes live.

You will be proud of the Woods family as you read this book. It will reaffirm your faith in humanity and in positive role models. It is a truly heartwarming book in every way.

After you have shared this book with young people and begun to model your actions on Earl, think about how else you could be a good role model. What is your special gift that can inspire others to become a role model? Let me repeat Tiger's words here. "With your help, I believe we can make a difference in the lives of others across the world."

Love being a role model!

Earl is a very smartz man. without earl i would not Have good english skillz. Other than the fact that i have sex with him.. or her now that he got a sex change, i really enjoyed earl's philosophy on Nazi'ism. He is a prominent member of the nazy party. after running for president of the united states of haiti, he went to mcdonalds and bought us some chicken wings. but they dont sell chiken wings, so we think he bought them from a shady guy name demetrius on main street. we didnt think earl was telling us the truth about his sexual relations with demetrius, so we went to shoneys and ate some grits. earl got food poisioning. yes... anyway, after that we went downtown to have some dirty needles with daryl. Earl decided he hated english and so he made up his mind to never write another english book and to go off and make porn movies with some guy named Hugh G. Rection. Teranius, after discovering his surprise that some children left for him/her/it gave it to earl, and then earl exploded and then he had much sex with little children. anyway, this book was bad ass.

When you here about a superstar like Tiger its natural to wonder where this incredible talent came from. The book is a bit of a mix of golf how to, parent child relationship and history of Tigers early years. If you are raising kids and want a perspective on what went into developing such a great talent the book offers some interesting insights. The book lacks the level of detail or story telling that could of showed us more of Tigers character and made the book a more interesting read. If you love Golf and want your kids to get involved with the great game this book is a must read.

Well, I think the fact there are only three reviews of this book before mine pretty much sums up how popular it is.
As I write this, there is a show on TV called "American Junior" -- a take-off on "American Idol" in which children with prodigious singing voices try to become stars. The most striking feature of the show, however, is not the kids' talents but their parents' obsessions. They are trying to achieve vicariously, through their kid's success, the fame and fortune they were never able to achieve on their own. I think you probably get my analogy to Earl Woods.
By the way: I have a point to make about Tiger that has nothing to do with this book, really, but that I want to get off my chest. It has to do with his wardrobe. He is in serious need of a fashion makeover. Here is his customary garb:
1. "Poofy" (i.e., baggy-legged) pants. The effect is a little bit odd.
2. A standard golf shirt -- but with the top, collar button fastened. This is a distinctly child-like feature; normally the only people with top button fastened are little boys dressed by their moms.
3. A cap that is more rounded than that of other players; if you removed the bill and attached blades to the top, it would be a perfect propellor beanie.
What I'm getting at is that his working clothes are childish. When combined with his natural baby face, the effect is comical. I predict that 20 years from now, film of Tiger in his 20s will look as silly as film of golfers in the 1970's with their tight, plaid pants, wide white belts, and super-sized lapels on their shirts.
So Tiger -- please come up with a new look on the course to go with your fabulous game.

Children are first introduced to a particular sport through their parents. If they show promise or enthusiasm in the sport their parents are their main supporters. Eldrick "Tiger" Woods was blessed to have parents who recognized his gifts and supported him in developing his talent as a golfer. You too, as a parent can do the same for your child as you review the lessons that Tiger's father imparted to him.

Earl Woods shares with his techniques in both raising and training his son, Tiger, as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He describes how to start off your child in golf at an early age, developing drills for them in their practice and keeping them focused on their game. What I found most important about Earl Wood's presentation is his stress on building a solid relationship with your child. Once your child learns to love, trust and feel secure with their parent then there isn't anything that he or she can't handle. Golf is just one means of developing the discipline, integrity and positive behavior that one needs throughout life.

This is not a detailed book on how to play golf. Earl Woods doesn't go into an analysis of his son's techniques. He gives the basics and his own methods which worked with Tiger. His voice is one of advice to parents in training your child for golf. It is up to you to accept or reject Earl Woods' pointers.

After reading this book will your child turn into another Tiger Woods? Probably not because each child is unique but you and your child will develop a better relationship with one another due to your mutual love of the game. Incorporating the principles of Woods' instructions can serve as a launching point
in enabling your child to improve on his or her game. Woods stresses throughout the book that as a parent you can use golf to raise a child who will be a champion in life. Golf is the vehicle but the foundation is the love of the parent and child.

If you are introducing golf to your child I highly recommend this book. It gives solid and practical advice in getting your child interested in the game. Earl Woods also provides a list of associations and clubs that sponsor golf lessons and tournaments in developing young players for the sport.

If you've admired Tiger as a golfer, wait til you read his father's account of how he got that way. What a great tribute to the parent/child relationship...a powerful reminder that respect between parents and their children is earned, not given. Also, terrific advice on how to teach your kid to golf at an early age, and wonderful pictures of Tiger and his family

From this book, I get the feeling that Earl Woods is one of the most egotistical people I have ever come across. He does nothing but talk about how good he is at this, how good he is at that, what he did to bring up Tiger, etc. He even says his separation from his wife Tida is due to affluence, not that they are simply separated. Also, he takes no responsibility for anything that has ever happened to him. Every negative experience in his life was due to him being a minority. Give me a break.

He also feels the NCAA was out to get he and his precious Tiger. NCAA rules are rules, just like in golf. Get over it. Tiger was not treated any differently than any other college athlete. Tiger was offered a country club membership at the Olympic Club while he was at Stanford, and Earl can't figure out why the NCAA wouldn't let him take it. Because, believe it, or not...Tiger has to live under the same rules as everyone else on this planet.

I do have to say the book is an easy read, and keeps you interested, but only because Earl's "thumb on my back" mentality keeps you laughing.

Who was the man who was behind Tiger Woods to mold and shape him into the champion that he is today? The answer is Earl Woods, Tiger's father, friend and confidant. Playing Through is Earl Woods' own biography of what it is like to be the father of one of golf's greatest stars. One would expect a cohesive and comprehensive story about Earl's life and that of his son. Instead you are presented with a man who is uncapable of seperating himself from the persona of his son. Earl Woods spends the majority of the time speaking about his son rather than himself. How strange, since the book is supposed to be about Earl Woods. Unfortunately it ends up as a promotional text about Tiger.

Earl Woods is a man who dealt with many obstacles in his life. As a teenager he lost his parents, struggled with a career choice, dealt with the racism in the Army and a failed marriage. Then after his divorce and remarriage a child was born and Earl devotes his life to him even at the expense of his own marriage. At this juncture we hear no more about Earl. Tiger becomes the focus which is a shame since Earl's life is far more interesting.

Throughout the work Earl tends to put people on a pedestle to the point where they become unreal ( his mother, his brother-in-law, and the orignial Tiger, his friend). He is defensive about any criticism about his son and doesn't tell us much about his relationship with his other children. Earl is so emeshed in his youngest son's identity that he becomes a bore. Surely he could have told us more about himself rather than going on and on and on about Tiger.

Despite his faults Earl Woods raises some interesting questions regarding the role of the NCAA on student athletes. He intimates that the NCAA controls the athletes who make money for their schools but receive nothing in return. Earl also shows the impact that Tiger's status has made on the game. Tiger's presence has made the game more accessible to people, raised the purses, tightened security and inspired more minority children as well as their parents to take up the game. Tiger's impact is immeasurable as he continues his career.

If you can tolerate Earl's egotistical meanderings and defensive posture, the book is a good lesson in how not to make the mistakes Earl made and become a better parent. It is filled with Tiger's triumphs and challenges. Earl comes across as your controlling parent of an exceptional and talented player. It is worth the read for those who are Tiger fans and collectors of books written about thim.