Little Poison

LITTLE POISON
JOHN DECHANT




I as an avid golfer and history buff found this book a great read and welcome addition to my history of golf quest! The success of the “little guy” against the titans of the sport was warming and I reveled in the history of the golf professional prior to the modern day PGA events we enjoy today. The struggle of these forerunners playing for minimal purses shows the dedication required to advance their dreams! Read how it all began with a few exciting twists included.


I have received a free copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.


5Stars


Spencer Birt

Professional golfers who have been known as long hitters during their time, from Harvey Penick to Tiger Woods, are also popular in both galleries and the press. However, those who are great at other parts of the game that overcomes their lack of distance off the tee are not as well known. That is the case for Paul Runyan, who is the subject of this excellent biography by John Duchant.

The title is a bit misleading, as this book is not just about the 1938 PGA Championship. In that tourney, that was when Runyan rose from relative obscurity (even though he had already won one major tourney in 1934, also the PGA Championship) to defeat Snead 8 and 7 in match play. That was the largest victory for any PGA Championship winner when that tourney was decided by match play until 1957. It was such a surprise that Runyan even kept the sign with the score to show that he did indeed win with that big a margin.

While there is some material on Snead in the book, including his gracious handling of the defeat, this book is primarily about the life of Paul Runyan, and it is a fascinating life and read. Every aspect of his life, from his upbringing to his many jobs in golf (caddy, fitting clubs, club pro) to his time on the PGA tour to his business life after his career came to an end. There were a couple of events he played as a senior member who was invited (the Senior/Champions PGA tour was not yet established) and while he showed flashes of his excellent game, he was content with working in the game.

His personal life is well documented in the book as well, including his two marriages in which he loved both of his wives and was widowed twice. Other highlights include how he gained his nickname of “Little Poison”, the excellence of his short game that gave him his wins and his overall positive aspect of his life. For readers who wish to learn more about this little-known Hall of Fame golfer, this is an excellent source of information on him.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the University of Nebraska Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for my honest review.
Wonderful biography of Paul Runyan, a truly masterful golfer who is rather unknown to todays golf fans. This is the David vs. Goliath story of not just the 1938 PGA Championship but rather much of Runyan's career. It is a golf book, but it also is a lot more, as we follow the career of Runyan from rural Arkansas to the heights of professional golf. At 5'6" and weighing only 130 pounds he was able to figure out how to adapt the game to his frame. From hitting anywhere from 600-1000 golf balls a day, every day, he mastered the iron game and was able to defeat others due to his success from sand bunkers, deep rough, as well as the approach shot and unbelievable putting. A golf club pro, he also competed and won many events, but as time went on the general public knew more about his contemporaries such as Snead, Hogan, Sarazen, etc. But this is an inspirational book as we find much of his success due to a dedicated fitness schedule, control of his eating and drinking, getting proper sleep, the use of mathematics to conquer golf courses, and the use of a cool bath to outlast his opponents. John Dechant did a masterful job in detailing Runyan's career with the highlight being his overwhelming defeat of Sam Snead as a 10-1 underdog. Determination, skill and a great grip on life made Runyan a champion and provides a great example for all of us to follow!