Given his sporting genes, you wouldn’t expect Hunter Anstey to develop a strong love for golf at just eight years of age. But that’s exactly what he’s done.
The son of basketballer Chris Anstey, whose career included 155 NBA games for the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls, as well as three NBL championships, is one of the sport’s newest devotees and his dad is delighted with his choice.
It’s one being made even more frequently by kids across Australia. The 2021-2022 Participation Report just released by Golf Australia showed a 13 percent increase in MyGolf participants and a 4.2 percent increase in junior golf club members.
“We both love golf, perhaps Hunter even more than me at the moment,” said Anstey, who loves that he can play along at the same time as his son.
“Hunter started with mini-golf and loved that. He became fascinated with the game and progressed on to the golf course, getting into the swing of that and then having some lessons.
“He’s as keen as and it’s really satisfying to see his progress. The main aspect though is that he’s really enjoying it.”
Hunter has already discovered the joy a chip-in can bring, saying his wedge is his favourite club after he holed one from off the green recently.
And when he hits the driving range, he can quickly work his way through a large bucket of balls.
“Golf is a great family thing for us to do,” Chris said.
“There’s not a bunch of sports where you can play along with your son and we’re very content with hitting balls or playing nine holes.
“Hunter has had some lessons with Ian Merrett at the Melbourne Golf Academy. Ian is great with him and makes the learning fun.
“He hasn’t had a par just yet, but some fives and sixes which makes him really excited.”
Anstey Snr can hit the ball a long way but hasn’t translated his competitive basketball side into golf.
“I just play for the enjoyment. For me it’s about who I’m playing with rather than where I’m playing,” he said.
