Yips - Anyone had them and cured them

Goldenjohn

Sorry...

rickis tache

Had a horrid time with them. Tried cack handed and the claw.
For me it was the right hand taking over and a big break down of the left wrist. Still happens now and again if I don't concentrate on keeping back of left hand straight.
Was thinking of getting a longer putter and using it like bryson, running up the left arm.

Goldenjohn

Tried left below right for the last number of weeks which had eliminated a few 3 putts but the yips returned yesterday.
I just can’t get comfortable with the claw. I might have to go to the long fella yet ☹️
I can only dream of holing any sort of putt at the moment you walk off a green after a 2 putt & it’s a relief. There was a time I was a decent putter 😭
It destroyed all confidence throughout the bag. I’ve only just started to get the long game back but wedge game and closer crumble once the first yip of the day arrives.

Benicetomonty

I find the claw uncomfortable but it does eliminate the yip for me. Long putts, esp if theyre uphill, are my trigger. I miss short ones too but I dont yip them. The long ones, I have to resort to the claw.

Johnny Miller had the same issue, he called it the reverse yips. Said it ended his career.

Sipper

Goldenjohn wrote: »

Sorry...

Are you talking specifically about putting or another part of the game?

GreeBo

You need to break the mental link with the physical act of hitting the ball (be it putting or chipping or even driving)

Sometimes it can be something like changing your grip or even looking at the hole rather than the ball, but its not a physical problem, these physical changes are attempting to overcome the psychological problem by breaking the link.

If its with the putter I would try putting while looking at the hole or even putting left handed.

Goldenjohn

Sipper wrote: »

Are you talking specifically about putting or another part of the game?

Putting

GreeBo

Goldenjohn wrote: »

Putting

Typo above, try putting while looking at the hole instead of the ball

ShivasIrons

The 'Yips' or an involuntary action when putting or chipping are exceptionally rare, so rare that it's very very unusual to see a genuine case.


Most, as in nearly all, cases of the 'yips' stem from poor technique and can be easily cured.

Benicetomonty

ShivasIrons wrote: »

The 'Yips' or an involuntary action when putting or chipping are exceptionally rare, so rare that it's very very unusual to see a genuine case.


Most, as in nearly all, cases of the 'yips' stem from poor technique and can be easily cured.

Would disagree with the latter half of this. Yips can affect any level of player, so cannot be dismissed as simply the result of poor technique. Too many world class players have either been affected or had their careers ended because of them, and it goes beyond chipping and putting. Driving yips ended Seve's career. Ditto David Duval, both former world number 1s, the latter of whom was ranked at one time in the late 90s as the best driver of the ball in the world via the total driving stat.

Hal Sutton got the chipping yips and that did for him. Johnny Miller's putter issues Ive already mentioned. Langer can only putt with the long putter now, but he of course won many times with a standard length putter and a conventional grip and technique in the 80s.

The yips are utterly psychological. Bernhard Langer has been the player he is on tour, surrounded by the best coaches, playing partners and practice facilities in the world for long enough to know exactly what technique he needs to employ to hit a 10 foot putt with a standard putter. But the yips means he cant do it. The technique is fine but then breaks down because of a mental 'jolt' that strikes the player, usuallly on the downswing but sometimes evolving to the point where even getting the club back becomes difficult. That Tiger Woods managed to overcome his own purported dose of the chipping yips to the point where he won the Masters in their aftermath is testament to the power of his golfing mind and tenacity, because almost nobody gets them at that level and recovers to that extent.

Anybody whos had them to any extent will know what it is to literally fear walking up to a drive, a chip or a putt because of the yips. Until you go through them properly, the concept of them must seem almost ludicrous, but they are devastating and way beyond a simple error in one's technique.

Sipper

yipsguru.com

Goldenjohn

Benicetomonty wrote: »

Anybody whos had them to any extent will know what it is to literally fear walking up to a drive, a chip or a putt because of the yips. Until you go through them properly, the concept of them must seem almost ludicrous, but they are devastating and way beyond a simple error in one's technique.

This x1000.... I actually don’t think you can understand unless you have had/have them.

Putting is the simplest stroke in golf and relatively easy to get reasonably proficient at with some practice. With yips you lose control of your body so technique goes out the window. Sure there are some technical things you can do to minimise the hands in the stroke but these wont eliminate an involuntary twitch the second before impact.
I think someone likened it before to trying to putt with an electric eel which is actually a great description of it.

At this point I just want to get off the green knowing I haven’t yipped it....that’s my best result when I’m on the green at the moment... I don’t actually care about making the putt, nothing is running at the hole I’m just nudging it up close to the hole trying not to yip it. It’s a vicious circle really Your never in reality gonna make a putt thinking that way or putting that way.

Once you hit an approach to the green it’s all you think about the hole walk to the green and whilst your waiting for your turn. It’s mentally draining too which doesn’t help either.

I had a good chat with the pro I use today which I hope will get me back on track so I’ll keep people updated if it improves or not. I’m committed to getting over them whatever it takes...so twitchy fingers crossed

GreeBo

Goldenjohn wrote: »

This x1000.... I actually don’t think you can understand unless you have had/have them.

Putting is the simplest stroke in golf and relatively easy to get reasonably proficient at with some practice. With yips you lose control of your body so technique goes out the window. Sure there are some technical things you can do to minimise the hands in the stroke but these wont eliminate an involuntary twitch the second before impact.
I think someone likened it before to trying to putt with an electric eel which is actually a great description of it.

At this point I just want to get off the green knowing I haven’t yipped it....that’s my best result when I’m on the green at the moment... I don’t actually care about making the putt, nothing is running at the hole I’m just nudging it up close to the hole trying not to yip it. It’s a vicious circle really Your never in reality gonna make a putt thinking that way or putting that way.

Once you hit an approach to the green it’s all you think about the hole walk to the green and whilst your waiting for your turn. It’s mentally draining too which doesn’t help either.

I had a good chat with the pro I use today which I hope will get me back on track so I’ll keep people updated if it improves or not. I’m committed to getting over them whatever it takes...so twitchy fingers crossed

Have you tried any crazy things to break the mental association?
You dont need to stick with them long term, just until your brain moves onto something else.
Putting with a wedge or 3 iron, putting looking at the hole, putting left handed, putting one handed.

Goldenjohn

GreeBo wrote: »

Have you tried any crazy things to break the mental association?
You dont need to stick with them long term, just until your brain moves onto something else.
Putting with a wedge or 3 iron, putting looking at the hole, putting left handed, putting one handed.

I got so frustrated I putted with a wedge for a few holes, changed to various styles of putter, I’m now putting left below right which brought some success but had a few yips on Sunday after a few weeks yip free.

BoldReason

I can't relate to having the yips myself. But sometimes to work on my stroke I close my eyes and just visualise hitting the ball. Might help you free up the stroke a bit.

GreeBo

Goldenjohn wrote: »

I got so frustrated I putted with a wedge for a few holes, changed to various styles of putter, I’m now putting left below right which brought some success but had a few yips on Sunday after a few weeks yip free.

I'd definitely try looking at the hole, you almost trick your brain into not knowing when to yip.

spacecoyote

Know a guy who switched to putting left handed to get over his problems. Worked for him and hes stayed that way, and is good putter now too

joxer1988

Similar story to many of the above posters. Got the putting yips, was all in the right hand for a RH putter - the key (for me) was to take the right hand out of the stroke as much as possible.

One thing that worked for short while was to keep the same grip, but grip ultra tight with the LH and ultra light with the RH. That worked for a while before I shook them off.

A year later, they returned with a vengeance. This time I changed to claw, again all LH with the RH just sitting there for balance (literally only have 2 fingers of the RH on the putter - see Sergio and Phil). This got rid of the yips overnight, but had an adjustment period to get the stroke solid and the distance control back where it was.

Still don't think I putt as well as the old pre-yip grip, but gives me confidence that I won't yip. I reckon I need to get practicing a bit more with it.

spacecoyote

On topic post from Padraig today

https://twitter.com/padraig_h/status/1283118377863647234