Megha Ganne
BIO: No. 3 Ranked AJGA; Low Amateur 2021 U.S. Women’s Open; 17-year old high school junior from Holmdel, N.J.; verbally committed to attend Stanford University in 2022.
4D SWING: Thursday, Round 1. Hole measured 388 yards.
BACKGROUND: Ganne played the first five holes of the championship in 2-under par. On No. 6, she drove it 264 yards down the left side of the fairway. From 121, she hit the green 22 feet from the hole. Two-putt par. Ganne would go on to post a first-round score of 67 (4-under par).
TAKEAWAYS
00:00:00 – The breakout star of the U.S. Women’s Open, Megha has both feet flared out and slightly wider than the shoulders.
00:00:03 to 00:00:05 – She turns the upper body well behind the ball without much rotation occurring below the waist. Most golfers need to turn the lower half more than that to reach a full 90-degree shoulder turn. At the top of the backswing, her shoulder turn is level rather than the left shoulder pointing down to the ball. Either position is fine.
00:00:06 – At the top, Megha’s club is parallel to the ground with a square clubface. She’s young and flexible to be able to get the club to this position with so little lower-body turn.
00:00:07 to 00:00:08 – The shaft is a little laid off (points left of the target). This typically leads to a steeper shaft angle during the downswing. However, Megha is able to keep the shaft angle shallow prior to impact.
00:00:09 to 00:00:12 – The right knee kicks in toward the ball, which pulls the right foot off the ground when the hips fire fast. It’s a common move among junior golfers to generate more speed. However, at times, the overactive lower body can outrace the club. The potential danger is the club can get stuck behind the lower body, which would lead to overactive hands at impact. Megha also posts up (straightens) the left leg, which allows her to hit against a firm front side and create more speed. This is another gas pedal in the swing.
00:00:14 to 00:00:15 – The arms are separating quite a bit. But, Megha does a great job of staying over the ball with her chest, which helps to avoid hitting thin shots. By comparison, most pros have their elbows closer together through the impact interval.
00:00:16 to 00:00:18 – I like how low she delivers the driver to the ball prior to hitting the shot and the arms release to full extension. The upper body stays behind the lower body so Megha can hit up on the ball and launch it high. Many amateurs hit down on it, which can reduce distance.
00:00:19 to 00:00:21 – The club finishes through the ponytail. I love how the hands are higher than the clubhead, which indicates she swung from an inside arc into the ball. Players who typically come into the ball from an outside-to-in swing path have the clubhead finish level with the hands.