Ken Duke finds resilience in adversity, uses health challenges to inspire others

A strong case can be made for the argument that the result which comes out of adversity is dictated largely by one’s attitude going into it.

To corroborate that notion, consider the story of Ken Duke.

Early on in his career, Duke made 485 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning twice. After that, Duke found solid footing on the PGA TOUR, competing in 318 PGA TOUR events, and winning once. Last week’s Regions Tradition was his 119th start on PGA TOUR Champions, where he is also a past winner.

All in all, Duke has 918 starts and four wins on three PGA TOUR-sanctioned Tours, and he also played frequently in Canada leading up to the Korn Ferry Tour.

Impressive? Without a doubt. But it was when Duke was a mere kid where he demonstrated his most valuable qualities.

During a routine check-up at school in the seventh grade, his back appeared to be curved more than healthcare professionals were comfortable with. After investigating it further, it was determined that Duke did, in fact, have scoliosis. As a result, he wore a brace in seventh and eighth grades to combat the C shape his spine was taking.

“It just got worse and worse, because I was a growing boy,” Duke said. “When I was in the ninth grade, I had a 58-degree curve and doctors said I needed surgery. I was very short-winded because the curve was going into my lungs. I couldn’t breathe easily, so it became impossible to condition like the other kids.”

In the four months between the diagnosis and surgery, Duke’s spine had reached a 72-degree curve. With the aid of a 16-inch rod in his back, the surgery resulted in a curve that had reduced 38 degrees. It remains there today.

“It wasn’t about sports for me. It was about having my life,” Duke said. “That’s all I cared about. Sports were a bonus. I wanted my life and had to have that surgery done to have that life. It has been unbelievable. I’ve been lucky…really lucky.”

For his own health and well-being, balance and optimism were critical to Duke. An extension of that was to share the belief with others amid their own adversities.

Over the years, a number of young athletes have reached out to Duke on social media. He said each year he fields inquiries from more than a dozen kids. Having learned of his story, the first question is always the same: “Will I be able to play golf, or any sport, again?” The start to Duke’s answer is also always the same: “It’s just not about that.”

Among those who reached out to Duke was Jane Hinson, who did so on behalf of her son, Andrew.

“When we first got the news of Andrew’s scoliosis, he was 11 or 12,” Hinson said. “It was a feeling of total devastation. He had always been such an active kid and loved sports of all kinds. So, we were naturally worried it would, at best, limit him in his journey to reach his dreams.”

Despite a brace, over time, the pain continued to worsen.

“Two years ago, we decided to go through with the surgery,” Andrew said. “But, when we went back, we were told I wouldn’t need it after all. I thought I was good to go.”

“We were thrilled and thought we were out of the woods,” said Jane. “We actually went back to our lives, and he was even playing really good golf.”

It was in this period when Andrew drew the attention of several college golf coaches. He ended up signing with the University of Alabama.

“Scoliosis wasn’t even really in our minds when we went for the first yearly check-up, hoping it would also be our last,” said Hinson. “But it had progressed. It had progressed quite severely. At that point, we knew that surgery was coming.”

“We made the choice to go ahead and have surgery right then, as opposed to waiting to have it down the road,” Andrew said. “I didn’t want to take a chance of having to get the surgery done in college, so we had it done in January…. after I’d already committed to play at the University of Alabama.”

While continuing her research, Jane noticed the discouragement and fear eating away at her son. Andrew wanted to know if this was going to end his dreams of playing college and then professional golf.

“I knew about Stacy Lewis, but I wondered if there may be a male, someone on the PGA TOUR, who had undergone surgery for scoliosis,” she said. “I really didn’t think I’d find one.”

But she did, and his name was Ken Duke.

“Andrew’s mom reached out to me on Instagram, explained that he was a young golfer from Alabama and that he had committed to play at the University of Alabama,” Duke said. “It was explained that he had scoliosis and that the family would like to chat with me about my experience.”

“I was so encouraged when I read his story of having related surgery and having it at about the same time Andrew would,” Jane recalled. “He went on to have great success and is still enjoying a long career on the PGA TOUR and now PGA TOUR Champions. It was just nice to find out that it’s possible.”

Jane even watched online interviews with Duke, whom she found to be very genuine and encouraging. Duke spoke of his perseverance and resilience. The warmest feeling Jane got was learning of Duke’s propensity to give back.

“I thought that maybe he might be willing to give some advice to Andrew,” Jane said. “I reached out to him on Instagram and he immediately responded. He said that he would absolutely love to talk to Andrew.”

Wasting no time, Andrew and the family gathered around the kitchen table with the phone on speaker when they took his lead and called him.

“We all felt such a relief listening to Ken share his story and how his golf continued to get better and better in spite of having a fused spine,” Jane said. “He gave Andrew some good advice on how to take care of himself. Andrew was so encouraged when we got off the phone that he looked like a different kid. That helped us all going into the surgery. We were able to believe that this wasn’t the end.”

“Ken shared his story and really gave me courage,” Andrew said. “Given our ages when we learned about our scoliosis, I found his story very similar to mine. He assured me that anything was possible. That really calmed me and helped me realize that, yes, I could do it.”

Duke encouraged Andrew to start light, explaining there to be no better time for Andrew to fine tune his short game.

“It’s about sharing and comparing stories with people, ”Duke said. “That’s the first thing they want to know – others’ stories. In Andrew’s case, he really wanted to know if I thought he would ever be able to play golf again. I told him he probably would, but that it was important for him to realize this was about so much more than that.”

Upon the news of his disease, Andrew was understandably discouraged. After all, the budding young player was not only improving on the course, but he was winning.

“I thought my golf career may very well be over and that I should just stop playing,” Andrew said. “It was always my dream to play golf, so, after thinking about it for a while, I decided to not give it up. We’re always going to have obstacles, so I took the mindset that this was just another thing I was going to have to overcome.”

Believing he can get his game back to where it was – and even better - Andrew kept his dream of playing one day on the PGA TOUR intact.

“We just have to take the cards we are dealt,” Duke said. “For me, I prayed over it and really fought my way through it. As with Andrew, it sounds like things are going well for him. I’m happy for him, because I know this whole thing has been a lot, not just for Andrew, but the entire Hinson family.”

To continue Andrew’s spirit moving in a forward and enthusiastic direction, Duke extended his extra-distance efforts by inviting the Alabama family out on Tuesday of last week’s Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham.

“He was really nice on the phone, so I wasn’t really nervous about meeting him today,” Andrew said. “It was so nice to get to meet him. He was very encouraging and just as nice as I imagined he would be. I really appreciated him inviting us out here and taking the time to spend his lunch and part of his pro-am talking to me and my parents. I truly enjoyed it.”

“(Duke) was so welcoming and kind,” Jane said. “He shared his story, which allowed us to learn how he had not only overcome so much to have this career, but that he was also a guy willing to give back to people who need a helping hand … like Andrew did.”

“Anyone that knows anything about me knows it’s all about giving back for me,” Duke said. “I have been dealt this hand to share my story as encouragement, raise money for charity and give back. I have been very lucky to do what I do on this tour – all the TOUR-sanctioned Tours – and, am just so thankful for that.”

“Getting to that next level in life is so very important,” Jane said. “Ken helped Andrew put all that into perspective. He explained how the surgery and everything else associated with it was an adversity that would help him the rest of his life. It would make him healthier and stronger than ever, and that golf was just an extra blessing. Hearing that from him was very, very helpful.”

According to Duke, maintaining a positive mentality under all circumstances is what it’s all about. As one who has played and won on a number of Tours, the credibility factor speaks for itself.

“To Andrew, I encourage him to enjoy his life,” Duke said. “None of us know our cards going forward, but there’s no reason why we all can’t be fine and good with whatever hand we’re dealt. For him, if it’s golf…amazing. If it’s business…amazing. If it’s something else entirely….amazing. We need to enjoy whatever it is we’re doing with whatever it is we have.”

Andrew underwent his surgery in January and has been doing well. He was putting and chipping within three weeks. It’s progressing so much that mom and dad have even had to hold him back a bit, not let him get ahead of himself.

“I’m back to playing a little bit,” Andrew said. “The game is coming back quicker than I thought. So, I’m pretty excited and encouraged about that.”

Andrew recently passed the 4-month mark, with all indications of things shaping up as hoped. At the 6-month mark, he will be cleared. He now has one more year of high school and, barring further complications, will be playing golf for the University of Alabama in the fall of 2025.

Not only is all of that indicative of a bright and happy future for Andrew, but it also supports the idea that a positive attitude amid adversity positions one for greater poise and confidence, as well as the opportunity to share the insight with others.