We first met Matt back in 2015 at Seaview, a great Hugh Wilson/Donald Ross collaboration, on the Jersey Shore. Matt was flying his drone on the range, and a handful of inquisitive onlookers gathered around him as he navigated it above the property.
At the time, drones were fairly new and rarely seen at a golf course. Matt was a pioneer of golf drone photography, and he has a knack for perfectly capturing the magic of the courses he visits. We wanted to catch up with him to learn a little more about his background, his work, and his future plans. We hope you'll enjoy the first installment of In Good Company.
1. H&B: What is your hometown and what was your favorite course growing up?
MH: Wyomissing, PA - grew up playing Manor Golf Course and Galen Hall (the Tillinghast design that gets some hidden gem love on Insta).
2. H&B: How and why did you get involved in the game?
MH: My grandfather is the one that introduced me to the game while I was young. Really started taking it more seriously when I burnt out of legion baseball in HS and caught the bug bad playing a local par 3 course with some teammates. Ended up dropping ~20 shots off my average score between my junior and senior years of high school and the rest is history from there.
3. H&B: When did you start taking photography seriously and what has been the toughest part to learn?
MH: I'd say I started taking it more seriously after I got a chance to play in the Ringer in 2019 - I played in the event with Dave Plaster (the CMO @ Dormie Network) and he encouraged me to consider shooting more professionally based on my work he saw, and it's kind of snowballed since. Personally, I think the toughest part is building out your own unique style that feels somewhat consistent across your work - I ultimately want people to be able to look at an image I shot and be able to guess it's my work.
4. H&B: Any drone flying secrets you can share?
MH: Chase the good light - so cliche, but do whatever it takes to catch golden hour. I find that good light makes even more of a difference with drone content.
5. H&B: Favorite time of day to shoot? All-time favorite property you've shot?
MH: Golden hour - doesn't matter whether it's AM or PM as long as the light is good. All-time favorite property to shoot is Bandon - Bandon Dunes is my personal favorite of the bunch.
6. H&B: What was your all-time favorite day of golf? Describe the day.
MH: This is a really tough one - I think I have to go with when I got to take my grandfather to Briggs Ranch to play a few rounds of golf with Lanto Griffin while he was #1 in the FedEx cup. Lanto couldn't have been a better dude and gave us all sorts of tips and an inside look into life on Tour. Getting to experience this with the guy who got me started in a game that's given me so much was priceless. Second pick would be getting to play the Champions Tour Pro-Am at Hualalai in Hawaii.
7. H&B: Favorite golf shot shape and why?
MH: Draw - strikes feel so much more solid to me and have played my best golf when I have that shot shape going. Had it going last year and helped me qualify for the Texas Mid-Am.
8. H&B: Sweater or quarter-zip and why?
MH: Primarily a quarter-zip guy, but recently got Ward and Betts sweaters for Christmas and they've become staples in my golf wardrobe. The Betts is so perfect for those in-between days where you'd normally be on and off with layers
9. H&B: Post-round drink?
MH: Recently have become more of a bourbon guy, but don't really discriminate when it comes to post-round drinks. Big transfusion guy for on course too…
10. H&B: Describe your personal style.
MH: I'd say I'm a mix of performance and style - usually lean more towards the stuff that's going to perform well in the elements (think extreme heat in Texas) while still allowing you to look good in the process. I like to keep pants and shorts to the basic solids and usually add my "style" via polo prints or colors. Frequently can be found in a bucket hat for style and sun protection in the summer
