The "Tiger Woods Tee Time" is a handheld electronic game set that introduces kids to the challenges of professional golf with the help of the legendary Tiger Woods. The set includes a miniature, computerized golf club that the player swings and whose speed and angle are "read" by an infrared sensor within in the golf ball unit. The player advances through practice sessions or tournaments by inputting club choices and putting direction, followed by swinging the club over the golf ball sensor. The player’s movements throughout the course are tracked on the digital golf course that is displayed by an LCD screen built into the club’s putting area.

In addition to play, one could make the case that this toy helps kids learn to play golf. That said, it will be ideal for kids who want to learn to play golf. The technology built into "Tiger Woods Tee Time" actually makes it necessary for the player to concentrate on, and execute, accurate strokes; albeit with club movements that are not required to be as grand as seen performed on your weekend PGA broadcasts. The player must be careful not to "slice" or "hook," and can strategize his moves based on course layout and by anticipating wind direction (displayed on the course screen). These realistic challenges of the sport are incorporated into the toy set keep the player very involved in the experience. Whether or not a player’s success with this toy will translate into any level of improved play in real life isn’t determined.

Tiger Woods has certainly created interest in golf among young people. As mentioned above, this item is going to be most fun (and least frustrating) for kids who are actually into learning to play the game. This is not a backyard mini-golf set. The game "pad" on the club can be intricate and a bit confusing for younger players, and it’s recommended that an adult take some time to walk through a few practice sessions with the child to minimize frustration.

As in the real game of golf, play is slow-paced. It is very much "swing-stop-look-position-set up again and repeat." The screen that displays the course and ball position is not large, making it necessary to look very closely at it in a non-glaring light. In fact, those with difficulty seeing small print or images at close range, may find the screen almost too small to read. At times, the digital representation of the golf ball is very difficult to locate on the screen, due to its comparatively small size. When swinging the club, one must be accurate enough in the swing to allow the club to pass directly over the eye sensor; a task that could prove difficult for the younger golfers out there whose hand-eye coordination is still in development.