On each new golf ball he buys, John Duke Hudson uses a specially purchased purple marker to draw a small, strange-looking symbol, something he describes as a combination of the letter V and the number seven. The symbol is a reminder of home. The mark, he explains, matches the brand that his grandparents stamp on each of their cattle at the family ranch in Texas hill country. The purple ink also matches the silks that jockeys wear when racing the family’s horses.
Hudson crouches and gently places one of these marked balls on a tee when he begins to play each hole. He calmly sets his feet, extends his arms and lines up his club. Then he unceremoniously whacks it, shooting the ball up to 300 yards away. The ball sinks into the earth when it lands, leaving a sizeable impression before rolling on. For the hack golfer, there’s a small degree of amazement the ball is still intact after being struck so solidly.
The lone player on the men’s golf team to play in each tournament of the season, Hudson just finished a spectacular freshman year. His best showing occurred during the Wendy’s Charleston Shootout, when he placed third, shooting a 212 at the tournament hosted on the Cougars’ home course, The Links at Stono Ferry. Just as consistent as his performance, though, was the support from his family– at least one relative attended each of his tournaments, no matter if they were in Utah, Florida or South Carolina. It’s an informal agreement of sorts. They show up to his tournaments – he keeps penning the family brand on his balls with purple ink.
“It’s just a reminder of where my roots are,” says Hudson. “Takes me back down to some core values.”
Hudson practices at least six days a week, but usually all seven. After finishing his classes at noon each weekday, he hurries off campus to Stono Ferry to perfect his swing and play a few holes. He grimaces when passing Marion Square, seeing his fellow students tossing Frisbees. In each flick of the wrist, he sees freedom. Still, he soldiers on, dedicated to improving his game. Everything else plays second fiddle to golf.
“I always try to get my practice first,” says Hudson. “Then, if I need to stay up half the night to do homework, I do.”
Despite the occasional longing for leisure time, Hudson is used to golfing like it was his job. Growing up in Sonora, Texas, where his family has ranched for six generations, he had to drive an hour to reach the nearest country club or to visit his swing coach. Tournaments were usually at least a four-hour drive away. Fortunately, if he got desperate, his hometown did have a nine-hole municipal course where he could mess around.
Just as Marion Square offers temptations to the young golfer, so do the dry, rocky Texas hills Hudson calls home. In high school, the equestrian and 4-H club member often had to resist putting his hands around his bow, rifle or fishing pole instead of picking up his clubs. Hudson loves hunting deer and turkey, and occasionally he stalks the hills for cattle predators that include coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions. If he were to fall short of his goal to become a professional golfer, he’d love to host a hunting or fishing television show.
“Pretty much anything that involves outdoors,” Hudson says, “I’m a fan of.”
When Hudson visited the College, it was the first of many schools and golf programs he planned to consider. But after seeing the campus and the varsity golf facilities at Stono Ferry, he cancelled all his other visits. The College, he decided, would be home for the next four years.
Mark McEntire, the men’s golf coach, commends Hudson’s freshman-year performance and extraordinary work ethic, but doesn’t hesitate to say he’s counting on the small-town Texas phenom for even bigger and better things in the years to come.
“I expect,” says McEntire, “for him to lead this team and be one of the best who ever played here.”