From Publishers Weekly
Nelson, now 80, is one of golf's immortals for a number of reasons, chief among them the astounding records he set in 1945 when he won 18 major PGA tournaments, 11 of them consecutively, and had an average score of 68.3. During the previous year, he captured eight events, had an average of 69.7 and earned $37,000, more than twice what any professional had ever made. Such triumphs brought him special admiration, for Nelson had grown up in a poor Texas family, had not finished high school, was deeply religious, did not smoke or drink and married the first young woman he ever dated. His modesty shines through in this autobiography, a winning volume in every sense. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Byron Nelson is golf's greatest living legend. He is one of the finest golfers ever to pick up a putter, and the man who had the most magnificent year any golfer ever had - 1945, when he won an incredible eighteen PGA tournaments, including eleven in a row, and finished second in seven others. How I Played the Game is the beautifully told tale, in his own words, of a man determined to be the best ever: his hardscrabble rural Texas upbringing and his near-death experience with typhoid fever; his early years as a caddie at Fort Worth's Glen Garden Country Club (where as a 15-year-old he beat another young caddie named Ben Hogan in the Caddie Championship by one shot); the lean years as an amateur and as a young pro during the Depression; and the golden years of the 1940s, when he invented the modern golf swing and forged the legend of "Lord Byron." Even after his sudden retirement (the real reason for which is finally revealed here), his impact on the game never lessened. Besides his many years as an insightful TV golf commentator, he was mentor to several future golf champions, Ken Venturi and Tom Watson among them. And he continued to play top-caliber golf with the greats of the game, like Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer, and some who were less than great - President Eisenhower, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and a host of others. Laced throughout with scores of priceless stories, anecdotes, opinions, and even golf tips, and with an in-depth, event-by-event recreation of his golden year, 1945, How I Played the Game is golf writing and remembrance of the highest order - and irresistible reading for every golfer and fan.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Nelson, now 80, is one of golf's immortals for a number of reasons, chief among them the astounding records he set in 1945 when he won 18 major PGA tournaments, 11 of them consecutively, and had an average score of 68.3. During the previous year, he captured eight events, had an average of 69.7 and earned $37,000, more than twice what any professional had ever made. Such triumphs brought him special admiration, for Nelson had grown up in a poor Texas family, had not finished high school, was deeply religious, did not smoke or drink and married the first young woman he ever dated. His modesty shines through in this autobiography, a winning volume in every sense. Photos not seen by PW. (June)

BookList - Bill Ott