On Friday, over 300 fans gathered at our Ottawa East store to meet Canadian golf star and Golf Town Athlete Brooke Henderson. These dedicated fans are the first members of the Brooke Brigade, a group of Brooke’s biggest supporters who have a chance to attend this week’s LPGA CP Women’s Open to cheer on their idol.

It was an incredible day with Brooke, affable and friendly, she engaged her fans, took pictures, signed autographs, and was clearly thrilled being surrounded by her biggest fans and supporters in Ottawa for what is essentially a home game for the 19-year old golfer.

Brooke and the entire Henderson family were thrilled by the young golfers that came out to the event. Brooke hopes to inspire young people to take up the sport in the same way she drew inspiration from Morgan Pressel as show rose through the ranks of golf in Canada.

During the Brooke Brigade event, we caught up with Brooke as she prepares for this weekend’s LPGA CP Women’s Open. Brooke’s main focus is on winning at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

“There are 150 of the best players in the world trying to win,”

Henderson said just before she met with the first members of the #BrookeBrigade.

“For me to beat 149 players is kind of crazy. I need to play my game, and if I get those good breaks—bouncing off a bunker or a ball that backs up 10 feet instead of 5 feet—and I will get the support behind me. But it is difficult to win at any time, and you  get a little bit of extra pressure because everyone—the media, the fans—want to see you in the final group on Sunday and have that trophy. You try to please everyone, but it comes down to your desire and the work that you put into it.”

We also had the opportunity to discuss a few other topics with Brooke.

Challenges of CP Women’s Open week
“I would love to make everyone happy and sign autographs for hours and talk to media as long as I can, but eventually you have to stay focused on preparing for the tournament. I do the best that I can in all aspects, but I have to know that I need proper rest and proper practice time. And ultimately if I put myself in a great position, everyone around me will be happy. So that’s the goal—to put myself in the proper position and help everyone out, but to focus on my own game.”.

Changing equipment
“In season, I’ve been playing well with my driver—it might be my best club. I changed to the Ping i200s irons last fall and I’ve seen good improvement in my iron play. I did change one of my hybrids recently, but since I’ve been playing well with my driver, making a change is something I’ll look to this fall. It’ll probably be in play next year and maybe my game will improve just a little bit more. I’m really excited about the G400 line up, there’s been a ton of PGA guys already make the transition and are getting incredible results”.

Choking up on her grip
“It is something I grew up doing. I started playing at three, and competitively at nine, and it is something I always did. The last few years I’ve tried gripping it at the end of the club, but it doesn’t work—I’m not as accurate or as comfortable. And since I’m one of the longest on tour, I can sacrifice a little bit of distance for a little more comfort. I’m probably gripping the driver at the same point that someone would use for a 45-inch driver, so I don’t think it makes that big a difference”.

Team Henderson
I have an amazing team. My dad is my coach and he’s behind me 110% of the time. My sister is not only an amazing caddie, but she’s my best friend and works on the managerial stuff like booking hotels and flights. IMG is my agency and they help me every week in making sure my schedule is efficient so I can focus on the golf course, and they have also helped secure many of my corporate sponsors, who I am so lucky to have and who have been so supportive of me since I turned pro. I really couldn’t ask for a better team or support team around me!