Byron Nelson
Byron Nelson, born John Byron Nelson Jr. on February 4, 1912, near Waxahachie, Texas, emerged as one of golf's leading figures in the late 1930s and 1940s. He began his journey in golf as a caddy at the Glen Garden Club in Fort Worth, where he quickly developed his skills, winning his first significant tournament at age 18. After turning professional in 1932, Nelson faced initial challenges, but his persistence paid off when he won his first major tournament, The Masters, in 1937, showcasing his exceptional putting abilities.
Throughout his career, Nelson became renowned for his remarkable consistency and powerful gameplay, ultimately winning forty-nine PGA tournaments and numerous titles. His peak season in 1939 included victories at the U.S. Open and multiple other championships, establishing him as a top-ranking golfer. During World War II, Nelson continued to compete and excel, recording an impressive streak of winning eighteen tournaments over eighteen months, a record that remains unmatched by most.
Despite his success, ongoing health issues led him to retire in 1946. Following retirement, he found fulfillment in ranching and golf commentary while influencing the evolution of the golf swing. Nelson's legacy endures as a symbol of excellence in golf, culminating in the posthumous acknowledgment of his contributions with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006.
Byron Nelson
Golfer
- Born: February 4, 1912
- Birthplace: Near Waxahachie, Texas
- Died: September 26, 2006
- Place of death: Roanoke, Texas
Sport: Golf
Early Life
John Byron Nelson, Jr., the top golfer of the late 1930’s and 1940’s, was born on February 4, 1912, near Waxahachie, Texas, to John Byron and Madge Marie Nelson. Byron’s father was a grain merchant in Fort Worth, Texas. The family lived in a home near the Glen Garden Club of Fort Worth, so when Byron was in his early teens, he began caddying after school at the club’s golf course. Soon after, he learned the game, and from then on, he practiced whenever possible. When he was fourteen years old, he and his friend, Ben Hogan, tied for the caddy championship. Two years later, Byron went on to win his first event, the Glen Garden Club’s junior title.
At sixteen, Byron left the Fort Worth public schools to work as a file clerk for a bankers’ magazine and for the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad. In his free time, he always headed for the fairways.
The Road to Excellence
Byron’s first important success as a golfer came in 1930, at the age of eighteen. He captured the Southwest amateur crown, a triumph that hinted at what lay ahead for the young Texas golfer.
Two years later, in 1932, Byron turned professional. His early efforts at tournament golf were not successful. Because of the Depression, in his first year, he won only $12.50. He did, however, tie for third in the Texarkana Open. For five rather lean years, Byron persisted. In 1933, as the professional at the Texarkana Country Club, he earned a monthly salary of $60. He married Louise Shofner in June of the following year. To supplement his small income, he also taught golf at the Ridgewood, New Jersey, and Reading, Pennsylvania, country clubs. By the 1935 season, his income had jumped to $2,708, as he managed to win the New Jersey Open. That win enabled him to continue to play golf for a living.
While teaching golf, Byron also worked on a problem he had with his own swing. He discovered that his swing had a troublesome hook and figured out how to cure it. As a result, his performance improved, and he became a strong contender in tournament play from then on.
The Emerging Champion
Finally, in 1937, the years of perseverance paid off. Byron won his first major tournament, The Masters, where he exhibited exceptional putting skills, sinking a thirty-footer on the tenth hole. At last, his career was launched.
Only two years later, in 1939, Byron experienced his peak season. He won not only the U.S. Open but also the Western Open and the North and South Open. That same year, he earned the Vardon Trophy, for having the lowest scoring average, and came in second in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Championship.
Tournament golf in the United States was suspended because of World War II, by which time Byron held an exceptional record of wins and had established himself as a top-ranking American golfer. Byron’s war-year wins on the fairways often have been downplayed because so many excellent contenders were off fighting instead of teeing off. However, Byron, who was exempt from military service because of a blood-clotting condition, had proved himself as a consistent winner long before Pearl Harbor.
Byron spent the war years playing in golf exhibitions for the Red Cross or the United Service Organizations (USO). In 1944, he won seven of twenty-two events, compiled a scoring average of 69.67, and earned a record $37,900 in war bonds. The Associated Press (AP) voted him male athlete of the year. Over a period of eighteen months beginning the following year, he achieved his most memorable accomplishment. He won eighteen of thirty-five tournaments, eleven of them in a row. No golfer will probably ever match this record; since Byron, only Tiger Woods has won more than five consecutive tournaments (7). In 1945, Byron was an obvious choice for AP male athlete of the year.
Continuing the Story
After winning every title he could in the United States, Byron began to have severe problems with his back. Crawling out of bed each morning was agony. He would arrive at tournaments leaning on his wife, and later he began skipping some of them entirely. He was tired of having to shake hands and attend lunches and of attracting too much attention. He began to think more and more about ranching.
In 1946, exhausted after fourteen years of constant effort, Byron retired, a few weeks after his caddy accidentally kicked his ball and cost him the U.S. Open. For all his victories, he was not able to save anything from his professional career. He found more profitable work as a rancher-businessman, managing his eight-hundred-acre Hereford ranch near Roanoke, Texas. He became a golfing commentator on ABC television and was considered one of the best coaches in the United States.
Byron was one of the most influential figures in the evolution of the golf swing. He had a way of drawing back his club in a “one-piece” movement, with no single part of his body dominating the move. His swing included a full shoulder turn but a restricted hip turn, and an extra-straight left arm to keep the club face square and hit the ball with extra leg drive. His club then pulled into the ball on the downswing, rather than pushed into it. This kind of swing increased the chances of consistent hitting.
Summary
Byron Nelson’s strength was his consistent, powerful playing ability, which often caused him to be described as a mechanical golfer. Although his career was brief, he won forty-nine PGA tournaments and every other golf title and award there was to win in the United States. He constantly set records. His 1945 consecutive-victory record may never be broken. In 2006, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously.
Bibliography
Companiotte, John. Byron Nelson: The Most Remarkable Year in the History of Golf. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2006.
Davis, Martin. Byron Nelson: The Little Black Book—The Personal Diary of Golf Legend Byron Nelson: 1935-1947. Arlington, Tex.: Summit, 1995.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Byron Nelson: The Story of Golf’s Finest Gentleman and the Greatest Winning Streak in History. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
Nelson, Byron. How I Played the Game. Rev. ed. Lanham, Md.: Taylor, 2006.
Nelson, Byron, and Jon Bradley. Quotable Byron: Words of Wisdom, Faith, and Success by and About Byron Nelson, Golf’s Great Ambassador. Nashville, Tenn.: TowleHouse, 2002.