On June 29, New York Knicks guard Chris Duhon switched his Swooshes for a pair spikes as he hosted the Hamptons Golf Classic at Hampton Hills Golf and Country Club in Westhampton, New York, with part of the proceeds benefiting his Stand Tall Foundation.
A few days before the event, Duhon took some practice swings with Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin at Chelsea Piers. His first attempt was a complete swing and miss that brought laughs from the crowd, but afterwards his stroke was as smooth as his jumper’s.
We caught up with Duhon during the practice event to get his take on his golf game and his foundation.

HOOP: How did you get involved with the event?
Chris Duhon: It was just brought up to us. It was something they’ve been doing the last couple of years and it was a big opportunity for me to promote my foundation, which is a great cause for the hurricane [Katrina] victims in Louisiana.

Photo Courtesy of R. Couri Hay Creative Public Relations

HOOP: Are you an avid golfer in the offseason?
Duhon: I wouldn’t say avid. I just started getting into it and when I have the opportunity, I’ll try to get out there. I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m there every week, but I’m learning, I’m getting better and better as I go.

HOOP: A lot of people say getting out on the course relaxes them, but it can be frustrating as well; do you find it to be more relaxing for you away from the court?
Duhon: I think it’s a little bit of both. The company that you have—you’re usually with your friends—that normally relaxes you because you’re in an environment with your friends and you can relax and be yourself. But other times, with the competitive spirit that I have, if I’m not that good at something that kind of frustrates me.

HOOP: How will working with this tournament directly help the charity?
Duhon: I think it will [lead to] more exposure. People don’t realize because it’s been a couple of years, but Louisiana still has a lot of work to be done. This is a way to bring that back to light.

HOOP: When the hurricane first hit you saw a lot of people wanting to get involved, but now do you feel people have kind of lost sight of the importance of what happened?
Duhon: Yeah, after a couple of years you kind of think that because the [New Orleans] Saints are back in the Superdome and Bourbon Street is back up and Mardi Gras is still going on, that things are fine, that things are back to normal. But there’s still a lot of places that haven’t been rebuilt or touched.