Matt Himbury is only five, but he is never happier than when he has a golf club in his hands. He already has a smooth swing and hits the ball a good 80 metres with his driver.
By John Gavegan
MATT Himbury is only five and although tiny, already has a titanic golf swing most people four times his age would envy.
Affectionately known as Matty, he has been a golf fanatic since the age of 18 months and is never happier than when he has a club in his hands.
According to Matty’s father Rohen and mother Carol, the problem is stopping him.
“We’ve never had to encourage him, he wants to play every day,” Rohen said.
Matty is a member of Cranbourne Golf Club’s junior clinics and junior development squad and has been taking lessons from professional Mark Auhl for about two years.
“He’s got a great smooth swing and hits the ball very straight, about 80 metres with a driver and putts extremely well – he’s better than most kids twice his age,” Mark said.
“If he keeps playing and learning, there’s no doubt he could easily be another Tiger Woods.
“Recently he played six holes at Cranbourne off the men’s tees and shot 52 for six holes and that’s pretty good golf.”
Rohen said Matty was so keen that when he couldn’t go outside he practised swinging with anything he could lay his hands on, such as a rolled-up towel.
“He always watches golf tournaments on television and putts around the lounge room having competitions with the pros.”
Rohen said he made a practice hitting area out the back of their Narre Warren home, complete with flags.
“Matty’s always out there, it’s hard to get him away from it,” he said.
Before an injury stopped Rohen playing golf he said Matty first got the bug watching him and Carol play.
“We got him some plastic clubs and he swung them so often he broke three sets, so we got him a junior set and he hasn’t stopped swinging since,” he said.
“He’s really improved since he started getting lessons from Mark Auhl, who’s very good with kids, an excellent teacher and makes learning a fun time,” he said.
Matt is also a member of Stuart Appleby Junior Golf that supports the development of young golfers and runs clinics, particularly during school holidays.
“We took Matty to a clinic at Moonah Links last November where he met Stuart Appleby and Steve Bann – he was stoked and talked about it for days,” he said.
Golf is in the Himbury family with older brother Andrew, 7, learning and playing good golf as well as younger sister Amy, 3, also taking up the game.
“Who knows, maybe one day we’ll have three champions in the family – we’ll really be golfed out,” he joked.
