Texas: The Cradle of Champions in Golf
Photo Gallery: Texas’ Greatest Players
When it comes to golf, Texas may not be the birthplace of the sport, but it has certainly played a significant role in shaping and crafting the modern game. As the PGA Tour returns to the Lone Star State for this week’s Valero Texas Open, it’s a perfect time to celebrate all things Texan in golf. Just like Ohio is known as the cradle of coaches in football, Texas can proudly claim to be the cradle of champions in golf. No other state has nurtured as many great players as Texas.
If you need proof of this claim, just take a look at the World Golf Hall of Fame’s roster. Texas stands out with seventeen Hall of Famers who were either born or primarily raised in the state. In comparison, Florida has zero Hall of Famers while California only has seven. The legacy of Texans in golf begins with two legendary figures – Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.
Hogan and Nelson are considered two of the greatest statesmen to ever play the game. Both born in Fort Worth and raised on Glen Garden Country Club, these twin stars had a profound impact on shaping modern golf. Nelson is often credited as “The Father of Modern Golf Swing” for his revolutionary upright swing style that departed from traditional hickory-era swings.
On the other hand, Hogan turned golf mechanics into a science with his best-selling book “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.” His meticulous game-planning and strategic approach influenced generations of players who followed him. Alongside Hogan and Nelson, Ralph Guldahl also made his mark on professional golf before experiencing an inexplicable decline that baffled many.
Texas didn’t just produce great players; it also gave birth to larger-than-life personalities like Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias