Chat with superstar Megha Ganne

India Golf Weekly arranged for an exclusive hour long chat with superstar Indian American amateur Megha Ganne live from her home in New Jersey. The call reached its maximum attendance of 100 participants quickly and for those kids, coaches and parents who missed out, we share the link of the entire interview here.

Here’s a quick Summary 

Megha wasn’t crazy about golf when she signed up for the First Tee program at age 7. Started loving it later when she got into competitions like US Kids at age 9. Says, if you don’t like a sport at the  start, hang in there. 

Although she was active in many other sports in school, she liked golf best in her early teens because it allowed her to make friends, socialise and also gave her the freedom to do whatever she wanted at the course. In other sports you have to do only what the coach tells you to do. 

It’s not being better than others which drove her, she just wanted to return to those fun big tournaments each year. 

Has played 3-4 Drive, Putt and Chip events at Augusta National where people watched her play, and helped her become comfortable facing  media and fans.

First Tee is about developing the game and Competitive Golf is different. 

At age 13, she was playing around 10 competitive events in a calendar year.

Thoughts on staying motivated during Lockdowns.

Golf season in New Jersey is only from May – November and the off season gives you time to focus on other things like going to the gym and indoor practice on short game so you can do the same in lockdown situations in India. 

Her Workout routine.

Cardio 3-4 times a week 

Back and core strengthening

Injury prevention exercises rather than lifting weights. 

Advice at Junior Tournaments

Enjoy your practice rounds

Try to take the best things from other participants

Started traveling at the age of 12-13 five times a year for national junior events

Preparation for U.S. Open

Stuck to same routine 

Spent most of the time on the course

Practice 3 hours a day

Coaches 

Never had more than one coach

Been with the same coach for a long time now

Try to stick with one

Learn your own game, don’t become dependent on your coaches and Have more trust in yourself

Practice Routine

Chipping, Pitching and Putting – 70%

Range – 30%

Mostly playing the course and learning how to score. 

How to turn a bad stretch around 

Try to remember your earlier good shots and keep recalling positive memories

Balancing social life, Studies and golf.

Used to swim, tennis, dance, karate, have always been busy and had a lot of activities to get through. Never had free time to be idle.

Time management just came naturally so when shifted exclusively to golf, it was easy as she had only one activity to focus on. 

Big mistake a junior player can make is thinking that hitting 400 balls is better than hitting 100. It’s about learning the most from those 100 balls. Spend time wisely, don’t put 8-10 hrs in practice, it doesn’t help.

Had the support of the school system, never burdened herself with a lot of tournaments. Played only when it was convenient. Scheduling the tournaments is important to match with exams and breaks.

Don’t get dragged down by teachers or any people who don’t support your goals.

Time management is the key – Sudha Ganne ( Megha’s Mom)

Being recruited by Stanford University

Got recruited by Stanford University at the end of her 2nd year in High school.

She had attended a Summer golf camp at Stanford and got the attention of coaches

A lot of colleges like Stanford don’t care about player rankings as much as kids think

College coaches consider referrals, Academics and being a well rounded person. 

Getting recruited by colleges in 9th and 10th grade is common, but you cannot commit till 11th grade ( junior year) as per NCAA rules

For International Students 

Coaches love international students for a good mix in the college team

Tournament example – IMG World Championship, where a good amount of international kids participate. Coaches observe at AJGA events

She is sure about spending four years in college and not in a hurry to turn pro.

Doesn’t want to turn pro yet, it’s not her priority. All the pros at the US Open recommended she plays college and delay turning pro. 

Her Game

Plans to play two junior events this summer

Hits her driver 250 yards which is about average on the LPGA Tour  and would love to hit it 280 but is okay that she can’t. 

Personally haven’t been a long hitter, but it’s important to hit it straighter, rather than longer and short game is where you make your score. 

How to start and manage golf at the age of 8-10

Let the kids enjoy themselves

Being active in multi sports is essential

Flexibility is key

Golf is easiest for kids to enjoy. You are meeting new people

More engaging

Social Media – She isn’t on it 

A lot of players are consumed by it

Have seen players scrolling the pictures of the event, while playing at it. She would rather enjoy the moment but every other player her age. Its her personal decision and not her parents. 

Controlling her state of mind

Focus on breathing. She follows Vision 54 and uses the philosophy from the book – Be a Player

Goals

Always sets her goals

Make a list of things you’ve done

List things which you need to improve

You won’t reach all your goals, its natural

Goals keep you motivated and are super important. 

Scores needed for Division 1 College Teams in USA 

Mid 70s to below par scores are required. 

For Division III – 

Low 80s to high 70s can work

When she was recruited  she had few scores between 78-82 but coaches understand It’s natural to have bad scores on record so players should be okay with an occasional bad round. 

How do you refocus when things go wrong?

Each player has to know their own tendences like some start moving faster and she gets aggressive and wants to make birdies. So you have to slow down.

Learn the maturity that you can’t make three birdies in a row so dont put that pressure on yourself. 

No. of rounds she plays each week

She now plays 4-5 rounds a week with a group of friends at her club 

On being a role model for teenagers, does it add pressure?

She’s not trying to be a role model, but if someone benefits from watching her, it’s a good thing. But, she doesn’t have a goal to be a role model.

Megha’s Mom’s advice – Guide the kids, give them good advice, don’t be negative when things don’t go right. 

Remember your kids feel more terrible than parents, as they are the one’s playing

Provide a friendly environment

Bad habits.

Nail biting – she tends to do that in tournaments. 

Not doing her Laundry

Being too social during tournaments – she chats a lot although maybe this helps her stay relaxed.