Ken Duke & Bob Toski: A Simmons Bank Championship Story

Simmons Bank Championship week in Little Rock started with kids on the range. Ken Duke, an Arkansas native and PGA Tour winner, helped lead Monday's First Tee clinic. He isn't in this week's field, but he brought a good story with him. As a teenager he had surgery for scoliosis, and he still has a metal rod in his back. His teacher, Bob Toski, now 100, didn't fight that. He built Duke's swing around it. The beginner lesson: swing with the body you have, pick one small goal, and find a patient teacher.

Simmons Bank Championship week starts with kids

The 2026 Simmons Bank Championship presented by Stephens is a PGA Tour Champions event at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. Tournament week runs October 26 to November 1, with three rounds from Friday, October 30, to Sunday, November 1 (PGA Tour Champions).

The week opened Monday with a First Tee clinic for kids, presented by FIS, on the Pleasant Valley practice range. Duke was there in person with Little Rock's Glen Day. Duke isn't playing this week. He's on site as a Simmons Bank brand ambassador (tournament announcement).

Pleasant Valley is familiar ground for him. In 1987, two years after his back surgery, Duke won the Arkansas state high school golf title there.

Ken Duke's scoliosis story: a rod in his back

Duke was diagnosed with scoliosis in seventh grade, after a school screening in Arkadelphia. Doctors at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock had him wear a back brace 23 hours a day, but the curve kept growing and began to press on his lungs. In February 1985, as a teenager, he had surgery, and a 16-inch metal rod was attached to his spine to straighten the curve. It's still there.

He was back on his high school team within months. Still wearing a brace, he won medalist honors at his district tournament.

Duke has called it simply his story. "Everyone has their stories out here and mine's the scoliosis," he said in 2015. He keeps his back loose with stretching and core work, and long flights or car rides still tighten it up. He also gives back. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has a Ken Duke Endowed Chair in Scoliosis, and he has visited kids who are about to have the same surgery he did. "When I was 10 to 15, I would have loved to have someone to talk to," he said.

Bob Toski built the swing around Duke's back

Duke met Toski in January 2006 in Boca Raton, Florida, and Toski has coached him ever since. Duke had taught himself to stand open and aim right, because his back made a square stance push the ball right. He hooked a lot of shots.

Toski didn't try to make Duke's body look like anyone else's. "He understood why I was in an open stance and swung the golf club to the right," Duke said. Toski had him swing down the line of play and hit a gentle fade, and to Duke, it felt like every shot was going straight. Duke's backswing stays short because his back won't turn any farther, so he isn't long off the tee. He is accurate.

Toski also left Duke's strong grip alone. "He takes what you have, critiques it, twists it a little bit," Duke has said. Toski has never charged him for a lesson.

Two first wins, one tournament, sixty years apart

In 1953 Toski, a slight 5'7" pro, won the Insurance City Open at Wethersfield Country Club, opening with back-to-back 66s and winning by one shot over Jim Ferrier. It was his first PGA Tour win.

The tournament later moved a few miles south to Cromwell, Connecticut, and became the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. It has a different name and a different course, but it's the same tournament.

"Can you shoot 66 today?"

Before the final round of the 2013 Travelers, Toski called Duke and asked, "Can you shoot 66 today?" Duke said, "Yes, sir, I can do that." He shot 67, then won a two-hole playoff at 44 years old. Sixty years after his teacher's first win, the student had his own, at the same tournament, on a different course.

Bob Toski at 100

Toski turned 100 on September 18, 2026. Duke calls him a friend and mentor. "He changed the way I swing a golf club," Duke said. He planned to take a red-eye flight to be at the birthday party.

Your first-nine lesson: swing with the body you have

Duke's swing doesn't look like a textbook swing, and it doesn't need to. A good swing is one that works for your body. That goes for you too:

Stiff back? A shorter backswing is still a real swing. Duke's backswing is short, and he won on the PGA Tour. Make a few easy half swings with your 56° before you try anything bigger.
Tight hips? A slightly open stance is allowed. Duke stands open because of his back. Aim where the ball actually goes, then adjust from there.
Older golfer? Shorter and smoother can be better than harder. Toski is 100 and still loves the game.
A kid who feels like the wrong shape? There's no right shape for golf. Tall, short, round, skinny, braces on your teeth or a brace on your back: the ball doesn't know.
If something hurts, stop. Check with your doctor about what's right for your body, then make the swing fit you.

One small goal, one patient teacher

Toski didn't ask Duke for a perfect round. He asked for one number. You can do the same:

Pick one small goal before you tee off. "Two putts on every green" or "get the ball moving forward with my 56°" is a whole plan.
Keep what already works. Toski left Duke's grip alone, and your natural hold on the club may be fine too. Our grip basics guide shows what to check and what to leave alone.
Choose a patient teacher, or be one. A good friend, parent or coach works with the swing you have and changes one thing at a time. Here's how to choose a golf teacher.
Miss the goal by a little? That still counts. Duke aimed for 66, shot 67, and won.

One teacher, one student, and a swing built around a rod in his back. This week the student was back on the Pleasant Valley range, helping kids find swings of their own. Before your first nine, ask yourself one small question.

Ken Duke, Bob Toski and a swing built for his back: a Simmons Bank Championship week story