[1] Runyan served as head pro at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, New York from 1931 to 1943 during which time he won both of his PGA Championships.

Runyan had worked tirelessly on his short game from boyhood, since he realized early on if he were to succeed in golf, he had to compensate for his lack of length.

Runyan opined that he is the smallest player in golf history who had significant success,[1] although Fred McLeod had a fine record, too, and stood only 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) and weighed a paltry 108 lb (49 kg; 7.7 st).

Runyan wrote an influential book outlining his short-game methods, The Short Way to Lower Scoring.

Runyan was the first head golf professional at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington and served from 1968 to 1971.