DALLAS City of Winners

If the citizens of Dallas were asked to vote for the city’s most significant and prestigious sporting tradition, the annual Byron Nelson Golf Classic, sponsored by the Salesmanship Club, would probably get the most votes.

Honoring one of the game’s all-time greats, the Byron Nelson Classic will celebrate its 20th successful chapter this month. Building on past success, this year’s event will be the tourney’s second appearance on the new Las Colinas Sports Club’s spectacular Tournament Players Course, sculptured with the viewing gallery in mind.

Each year, from start to finish, the Nelson is a true class act. Over 1,000 Dallas business, social and cultural leaders unselfishly contribute many thousands of hours of time and talent too valuable to be hired at any price. Everyone thoroughly enjoys the five day event, not only because it is shared with good friends but because it gives us the opportunity to observe the world’s greatest golfers matching their skills against one of the country’s truly great courses.

Most important of all, of course, are the emotionally disturbed children who benefit directly from the tournament income of over a million dollars a year. It enables the Salesmanship Club to provide love, therapy, counseling, guidance and other treatment to boys and girls who without them would be destined to live lives wasted in prisons and mental institutions.

It is interesting to observe that golf is a game played exclusively in the non-Communist world, the badge and banner of free private enterprise and its rewards. One sage ventured the opinion that if golf were played in the Soviet Union, the Soviets probably wouldn’t be in Afghanistan. They would haw more pressing problems and challenges to contend with on the home front.

The Salesmanship Club of Dallas puts the game to its best and noblest purpose.