This is late in coming, but I wanted to pay my respects to Byron Nelson, one of the great golfers of all time. He was a gentleman, a competitor, and a master of the game of golf.

Byron Nelson was considered the father of the modern golf swing. Coming along when golf shafts were moving from hickory to steel, Nelson re-tooled the golf swing by employing the big muscles in the hips and legs and incorporating a full shoulder turn. A picture pure golf swing is one of the things many remember him for.

Nelson’s name has been in the news lately for another reason. Writers who cover golf are speculating whether Tiger Woods can break Byron Nelson’s record of 11 consecutive Tour victories. Nelson accomplished this in 1945 and the mark has held all these years. Another remarkable golf legacy of Nelson’s.

So these are the things that many golfers and golf fans may already know about Byron Nelson. But most won’t know the kind of man he was. The kind of man who would ask on the first tee of a golf course “What’s the course record and who holds it?” If it was the local pro, Nelson wanted to make sure that the record wasn’t broken. A man of respect and tradition.

He was one of the few pro golfers of his era who passed on his knowledge to pro and amateur golfers alike. He loved to help others learn. A rare trait and even more so today.
A man of sharing.

Golf, and life, will miss Byron Nelson. We need more like him.