Jim Hardy vividly remembers his first golf swing just 15 days after knee replacement surgery in 2024. He swung with ease, something he hadn’t done in years due to knee pain. At 82 years old, most people might be slowing down. But for Jim, a former PGA Tour player and World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame inductee, slowing down has never been an option.
“I’ve always been a positive, forward-thinking person,” Jim said. “I lead my life and really think I’m still 40. There’s nothing I do in life as if I’m 82.”
This mindset served him well when facing a knee replacement surgery at age 81 that many would approach with trepidation.
“Knee replacements on older adults are more common than previously thought,” said Braden Hartline, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at UT Physicians – Orthopedics at Memorial Hermann | Rocket Sports Medicine Institute — The Woodlands. “Many are living longer and more active lives. With our protocols, this can and should be seen as a life-improving surgery, so more patients are candidates for this surgery, young and old.”
A lifetime of athletics and injury
Jim’s knee troubles began decades ago during his military service after college, where he had been an All-American golfer. He was leading men down into a tunnel, hit his knee at full speed on a low cross beam, and thought he shattered his leg.
While the injury wasn’t as severe as he initially feared, it began a series of knee operations that would follow him throughout his seven-year career on the PGA Tour. In his last year of play, the medical team drained over 100 cubic centimeters of fluid from his knee (around 3.4 ounces) after every round of golf.
That issue eventually ended his professional playing career in the late 1970s, though it didn’t slow his involvement in the sport. Jim became a renowned instructor, author, and golf course designer with more than 40 courses to his credit.
In search of a solution
Jim pushed through the pain for much of his life. His quality of life had deteriorated tremendously by the time he decided to pursue a more permanent solution last year. He couldn’t walk well, he couldn’t exercise, and he had to ride a cart when he played golf.
Five other athletes recommended Hartline as Jim searched for an orthopedic surgeon. They described his competency, thoroughness, and ability to give them a new knee better than the one they had before knee issues.
“They said it wouldn’t be just a new knee, but the whole leg would be more functional and more aligned,” Jim said. “I like that Dr. Hartline uses robotics for planning and knew exactly how the cuts would be. And I appreciated that he wants patients to go into physical therapy the day after surgery. I’m a nut about that!”
After trying conservative options in the past — exercises, anti-inflammatory medication, and injections – he visited Hartline for another solution.
At the first appointment, Jim presented with chronic knee pain, a known history of knee issues, and previous surgeries. But what stood out to Hartline was Jim’s activity level and desire to play and teach golf. Knee replacement was the only surgical option for his condition, which Hartline described as a resurfacing of the arthritic ends of the bone that are meant to move together.
“I like ‘resurfacing’ as an explanation as people often think we are cutting a lot of bone and replacing it with a hinge,” said Hartline, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “While we can do that, we are preserving as much of the patient’s tissue and supportive structures as possible to give them the most functional result.”
A positive knee replacement experience
Hartline performed Jim’s knee replacement in January 2024. Despite hearing cautionary tales about knee replacement surgery, Jim’s experience exceeded expectations. Almost immediately, he made remarkable progress. His suggested plan was physical therapy three days a week, but Jim chose to go every day. After the 12th day, he was going up and down stairs without holding the banister.
Even more impressive, Jim returned to his beloved golf, swinging a club just 15 days after surgery.
“I literally couldn’t have done that without Hartline’s incredible skill restoring my leg, the unbelievable physical therapy folks, and then pushing myself,” Jim said.
This rapid recovery even impressed Hartline, who treats and cares for many active people. He describes Jim as an energetic and highly motivated patient.
“Pretty quickly, he was back to playing golf and letting me and the therapist know that his golf swing was much different and improved from a newly, more mobile knee,” Hartline said. “Sometimes, we can affect the scorecards of our golfers in a positive way, too!”
Hartline emphasized that there are important parts of the process he is directly involved in, such as surgery and education, but Jim’s recovery and motivation were all on him.
Life with a new knee
Today, a little over a year after his surgery, Jim is thrilled with the results and feels like a 25-year-old with his knee. He admitted he probably should have had it replaced 20 years before, despite continuing an active lifestyle.
“I’m shocked that I’m this old because I do not live a life that old,” Jim said. “I’m happy still being active.”
Jim said he’s had no problems and is doing things he hasn’t been able to do for decades, like leg extensions and squats.
“Your left knee is incredibly important in golf because that’s your plant pivot knee,” Jim said.
An advocate for knee replacement
After his positive experience, Jim is a strong advocate for the procedure among friends and acquaintances who often share negative thoughts they’ve heard about knee replacements.
“I tell everyone, if they’re going to have a knee put in, I know who to see,” Jim said. “It was so positive, and I encourage it. The rehab was great, the surgery was great — just a wonderful experience.”
The secret to longevity
Jim’s philosophy on aging is refreshingly simple: “Keep going,” he said. He referenced the song written by Toby Keith “Don’t Let the Old Man In.” The song and title were inspired by Clint Eastwood’s suggestions to Keith on how to age well.
Now 82, Jim continues to row four to five days a week and hits golf balls regularly with a knee that can now keep up with his youthful spirit.
“That’s the secret to my strong mobility and active life,” Jim said. “Just keep going.”
