WATCH: LA Lakers star and golf influencer Austin Reaves hits crazy left-handed iron shots
NBA star Austin Reaves is one of those athletes who has recently shown his prowess as a golfer. But Reaves has taken it a step further and become a golf influencer.
Austin Reaves, shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, spends a lot of his free time playing golf. In fact, he has a TikTok account called "Hillbilly Bogey" where he posts content related to the sport.
The most recent video shared on the Hillbilly Bogey account shows Austin Reaves himself performing a very difficult golf move. It involves hitting the ball with a left-handed club from a position normally used by right-handed players.
The video shows Austin Reaves swinging a left-handed iron and executing the shot with admirable quality. He can be clearly seen him placing the club head in an inverted position and hitting an excellent shot with good height and a bit of weight to his right.
Reaves had an excellent junior and college basketball career, playing for Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, Arkansas and later for Wichita State University and the University of Oklahoma.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, Reaves declined to be selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 42nd pick, leaving him undrafted. That same year, he agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Lakers, which were renewed in July 2023.
Austin Reaves and Golf
There is not enough information about how Austin Reaves came to golf, but his skills are more than evident. According to Golf Digest, Reaves himself considers his handicap to be around 2, which would place him in the top 5% of amateur players.
In a 2022 interview for The Athletic, Reaves described his relationship with golf as follows:
"[Golf] It’s a fun getaway from basketball because that’s really what we do every day. It’s a super mental grind, which, I think, can translate for you and other sports. So yeah, I’d like to get on the course with some of the NBA guys and see where my talent stacks up.”
But Reaves has gone much further in his comments, stating that he considers himself the best golfer in the NBA. This obviously includes the winner of the 2023 American Century Championship, Stephen Curry.
Curry is considered a scratch golfer, although according to Golf Digest, his handicap is reportedly down to 3.3. Either way, the Golden State Warriors star is considered one of the best golfers in the world among athletes in other sports.
That didn't stop Reaves from making the following comments on the Zach Lowe Podcast last September:
"I’m down to play golf whenever, wherever against anybody. I love golf so much, I’d go play Tiger. Obviously, I don’t have any expectation of winning that one . . . but I would love to play against Steph."
In fact, the TikTok account "Hillbilly Bogey," where Reaves shares his golf experiences, has 12,800 followers and 30,800 reactions. Clearly, his popularity is growing beyond basketball.