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Thanks, Byron Remember Nelson the golfer, but cherish Nelson the man |
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He was a golfer of legendary proportions. He was a farmer and a craftsman; an author and a national television golf analyst. He was a mentor to the likes of Ken Venturi and Tom Watson; a role model to those who knew him and even to those who simply knew of him. He was one of the best good-will ambassadors for the game of golf. He was a loving and caring husband and a friend to all. But most of all, John Byron Nelson was the finest of human beings, filled with pride, integrity, humbleness, and most of all, a love for his fellow man. He would look for - and usually find - the good in a person rather than the bad. He always was a giver, not a taker. Helping others was woven into his nature, into every moment of his life. And, for all his records and accomplishments in the game of golf, for all his history and all his celebrity status, he never was infected with overbearing self-importance. Named after his father, John Byron Nelson Jr. was born Feb. 4, 1912 on a 160-acre cotton farm in Long Branch, Texas. He died Sept. 26, 2006, at the age of 94 of an apparent heart attack while resting on the porch of his 700-plus acre ranch in Roanoke, Texas, near Dallas/Fort Worth. He leaves behind a golfing legacy. Some of his records will withstand the test of time and talent. They will live forever. So, too, will his spirit and his memory. But not as simply a great golfer, which is something he never wanted anyway. "I would rather be remembered as being friendly and a good Christian man than as being a good golfer," he once said. Lord Byron, as he was affectionately known, was both. I first met Nelson at my first Masters, in 1986, standing on the second-floor verandah of the Augusta National clubhouse. We had stayed in touch for a number of years. I considered he and his wife Peggy as wonderful friends. In late fall 1994, I spent a weekend at the Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas, where Nelson was closely affiliated. Mostly, it was a weekend with the "man" himself, rehashing stories and learning of his life. It was certainly the best weekend of my life. What amazed me the most was how Nelson could remember not just tournaments, rounds, but particular shots as well. Even as the years began catching up with him, he never lost his remarkable memory. But it was Byron Nelson the person that always impressed me the most. He was as genuine as they come. No frills, no fluff. Just plain, simple and truthful. For Nelson, life revolved around the "F" words, but - Heaven forbid! - not the ones one might think. Nelson's "F" words were faith, family, friends and farm, ranking in that order. He believed in them. He lived by them. His day-to-day life revolved around his faith. His farm was the reason for playing golf and the reason for leaving the competitive side of the game at the tender young age of 34 in 1946. His family was his first wife Louise, who he had been married to for a half century before she died in October, 1985, and his second wife Peggy, a woman 33 years his younger whom he married on Nov. 15, 1986. Both these women provided him with strength, love and purpose. Nelson once said, "I always wanted to perform on the golf course to have my wife be proud of the way I played. I also wanted to perform in life so that she could be proud of the way I conducted myself. I didn't let (Louise) down and I haven't let Peggy down, either. And, the good Lord willing, I never will." He never did. Just ask his friends. "I truly believe I have more friends than any other golfer in the world," Nelson once said. And, in each case it was a friendship built on the respect they had for the man. "When they called him Lord (Byron) . . . that was the whole story right there," renowned golf instructor Bob Toski once said. "He was the Lord and Master of his own golf game. You look at him and you talk with him. He has a humbleness and a respect for the game and an appreciation for the game I don't see in a lo of players." In a special tribute to Nelson on the 50th anniversary of his 1945 season where he won 11 tournaments in a row and 18 total, Arnold Palmer said, "He was just a great player and is a great man. I respect Byron very much and am proud to be a friend of his." Chris Schenkel, who worked with Nelson at ABC Sports during golf broadcasts from 1963-76, once said, "Byron Nelson stands for everything that is good in life. I once told Byron that had the good Lord given me another brother, I would want it to be you. And I truly mean that." Friends. With them you are never alone. Byron Nelson was never alone. He never will be. His spirit will live on in the hearts of his friends, in the minds of golfers and historians around the world. Watson, who Nelson began working with in 1977 and who went on from that point to win 36 of his 39 PGA Tour titles, including two Masters, a U.S. Open and five British Opens, said he regarded Nelson as a "friend, teacher and father." Ben Crenshaw has called him "truly one of those special people. He'll always be considered certainly one of the greatest golfers, but will be remembered, I think, much more so about how he lived his life and how he tried to help people in any way he could." Over the years, Nelson was honored many times over, not only for his accomplishments as a golfer, but for what he stood for as a human being as well. One such time came in 1992 in honor of his 80th birthday. The Four Seasons Resort and Club at Los Colinas, where the PGA Tour event that bears his name has long been played each year, threw him a party. Invited were about 150 of his family and closest friends. The highlight came when Texas sculpture Robert Summers unveiled a nine-foot bronze statue of Nelson near the first tee. "I knew they were doing it, but I hadn't seen it," Nelson said of the statue. "When they unveiled it, boy, it was something. I got goose bumps. What an honor that was." In 1993, the PGA of America honored Nelson by naming him recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. He received letter after congratulatory letter, including ones from President Bill Clinton, former President Gerald Ford, Watson and fellow golfing great Gene Sarazen. In the last paragraph of his letter, Sarazen, wrote: "Byron, I'm delighted the PGA of America is honoring you with this award. It's special and most deserved recognition for someone who has devoted his life to this great game. I am glad to say you are my friend." Many people, myself included, share that same joy. I never knew Byron Nelson the golfer. For that, I must rely on what I read and what I see on old film clips. But I'm proud and honored to say I knew Byron Nelson the man. For that, I consider myself extremely fortunate. In his autobiography, "How I Played The Game," Nelson wrote: "It makes me feel so humble, because I feel I can never be as good as people think I am. But I try hard to be a Christian and do right, and all I can really do is to say 'Thank you.' " No Byron, thank you. You will be missed. You will be remembered. For as long as the game of golf lives on, so, too, will your memory and spirit. While he is no longer with us, his name, his love for the game of golf, and his kindness will forever remain. It can be found in books, in videos, in old film clips. It can be found at the Four Seasons Resort and Club at Los Colinas in the form of that nine-foot bronze statue. All one has to do is stand next to it, look up into the face, stare into the eyes. There you will see and feel the integrity, the love, the warmth, the humbleness and the spirit of one Byron Nelson -- a competitor to many, a friend to all. • • • Ron Balicki is a Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail rbalicki@golfweek.com. -- Click here for a printer-friendly version of this story |
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