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Follow Brooke Henderson’s Lead with Great Ball-Striking
By Ryan Adams, PGA
Published on
![Brooke Henderson of Canada plays her shot from the sixth tee during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)](https://images.ctfassets.net/56u5qdsjym8c/2MYN7J8MrIzUvKOANjlL5p/7b136a856f845525b591978472074914/1hendersonhero.png?fl=progressive&q=80)
Brooke Henderson of Canada plays her shot from the sixth tee during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Brooke Henderson started her 2023 season off in a big way.
When a tour player puts on a clinic like she did the past few days at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, it’s a great opportunity for golfers to find takeaways from the player they can add to their game.
Henderson has always been an excellent ball-striker with solid fundamentals that give her wonderful distance control and precision.
Here are two keys from her swing to think about the next time you go play or practice:
- Choke down for control. It’s one of the unique parts of Henderson’s swing, but it gives her more command over her shots — from driver down to wedge. Next time you’re in need of a good approach shot, take a club longer and grip down a few inches toward the steel/graphite part of your shaft. Swing the same way and you’ll be surprised how much more accurate the ball comes off the club.
- In trouble? Think about your tempo. During the final round, Henderson and the rest of the field were dealing with some serious wind whipping across a white cap filled Lake Nona, but she seemed unfazed. Take a couple of looks at her swing, and you can see she wasn’t speeding up to get through the wind or slowing down to control a downwind shot —- they were all the same. Before you pull the trigger on a shot, take a few practice swings next to or behind the ball to find a comfy tempo, then go with it and nothing else.
![Brooke Henderson of Canada plays her shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)](https://images.ctfassets.net/56u5qdsjym8c/hLf8oreGDN0rsfed5Gkfl/fc6c00c20607eb70dcd0ea768352b40e/henderson.png?fl=progressive&q=80)
Brooke Henderson of Canada plays her shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)