New KDHamptons Lifestyle Diary: Professional Polo Player Brandon Phillips
Polo playing star Brandon Phillips was born in King City, Canada and grew up on a horse farm outside of Toronto. The game of polo was in Brandon’s blood as his father and brother played polo as amateurs at the Toronto Polo Club and two of his uncles were Olympic show jumpers. Brandon rode his first horse when he was only 18-months-old and picked up a polo mallet at the age of 6 and began practicing. “I started playing polo when I was 11 years old in Toronto. What I love most about the sport are the horses. I have lived with horses my entire life and I’m very lucky that my career involves them on a daily basis,” shares Brandon, who has won many of the most coveted polo tournaments over the past 20 years. Phillips shares his lifestyle off the field in this new KDHamptons Diary, below.
KDHamptons: What is your favorite thing to do in the Hamptons?
Brandon: When I have some free time, I definitely like to go to the beach. Although I live in Florida most of the year and have the beach 10 minutes away, I never can get enough. So heading out to Montauk on our days off is always fun, especially at the Surf Lodge!
Brandon: When I have some free time, I definitely like to go to the beach. Although I live in Florida most of the year and have the beach 10 minutes away, I never can get enough. So heading out to Montauk on our days off is always fun, especially at the Surf Lodge!
KDHamptons: How were you discovered as a professional polo player?
Brandon Phillips: A weekend in 1994 at the Connecticut farm of Peter Brant turned into my launching pad for a professional polo career. There, I was exposed to top polo players which landed me a job for the following season in Palm Beach with White Birch Farm. I spent the winters of his final two years of high school in South Florida playing polo working with tutors and traveling back to Canada during downtime to complete schoolwork.
Brandon Phillips: A weekend in 1994 at the Connecticut farm of Peter Brant turned into my launching pad for a professional polo career. There, I was exposed to top polo players which landed me a job for the following season in Palm Beach with White Birch Farm. I spent the winters of his final two years of high school in South Florida playing polo working with tutors and traveling back to Canada during downtime to complete schoolwork.
KDHamptons: You were able to overcome a serious health scare as a teen, can you please share what happened?
Brandon Phillips: When I was 14, I noticed severe swelling in my right leg and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after doctors discovered a grapefruit-sized tumor. Though my parents didn’t tell me at the time, the doctor’s prognosis was six weeks to live. I had to draw on all of my physical strength and a positive outlook to beat it. I was cancer free after five months of intensive chemotherapy. In my free time, I try to give back and help children with cancer.
KDHamptons: How does polo in the Hamptons differ from anywhere else?
Brandon: Hamptons polo is different then other venues because of the people. There is a fun active lifestyle in the Hamptons which attracts a great group of people and definitely livens up our time there.
Brandon: Hamptons polo is different then other venues because of the people. There is a fun active lifestyle in the Hamptons which attracts a great group of people and definitely livens up our time there.
KDHamptons: Share any special Hamptons summer plans?
Brandon: Currently, I am playing in Virginia for a team called Altair Polo. I’ll be in the Hamptons to play in the Artist & Writers game on Saturday, August 15 at Herrick Park in East Hampton, and after that I go to Germany to play for the Postage Stamp Polo Team.