YIPS Discussion

[DaveLeeNC]

I have never been a good putter (on a handicap adjusted basis). A good while back a case of the yips showed up (DOB 1949). In my case it was like there was an invisible force that would move the clubface right before impact, but the face would swivel on the shaft and I would not feel that happening. It was a short and long putt issue that was much reduced on the practice green. I 'fixed it' with a claw grip. 

 

I think it is sneaking back in as (on a much smaller scale) I am again encountering this (smaller scale) directional problem. And I don't know how to 'work on it' as it (at the moment) is not a practice green phenomenon. 

 

So I guess I need a mechanical change that is bigger than the one that I have made such as a legal broomstick putter or maybe crosshanded, or possibly that thing that Bryson does. 

 

But just trolling for comments or other perspectives - thanks. 

 

dave

 

ps. A very good golfer (now deceased) who was a friend of a friend encountered that late in life and solved it by putting left handed (actually used a Bullseye type putter and putted long putts righty and short ones lefty (or the other way around - not sure). 

[ScottF]

Have you tried changing the size of your putter grip? For me, it was amazing how it improved my putting without me having to change or alter my normal putting stroke. 

[Tanner25]

Had the chipping yips. My son said, dad you are embarrassing me. That hurt. I don't wish this on anyone. I solved it with a stance change. Standing further from the ball and they are now gone. Maybe, try a set up change? Luckily, with the putter, there are so many variables you can change. 

Edited November 21, 2020 by Tanner25

[Zitlow]

1 hour ago, DaveLeeNC said:

I have never been a good putter (on a handicap adjusted basis). A good while back a case of the yips showed up (DOB 1949). In my case it was like there was an invisible force that would move the clubface right before impact, but the face would swivel on the shaft and I would not feel that happening. It was a short and long putt issue that was much reduced on the practice green. I 'fixed it' with a claw grip. 

 

I think it is sneaking back in as (on a much smaller scale) I am again encountering this (smaller scale) directional problem. And I don't know how to 'work on it' as it (at the moment) is not a practice green phenomenon. 

 

So I guess I need a mechanical change that is bigger than the one that I have made such as a legal broomstick putter or maybe crosshanded, or possibly that thing that Bryson does. 

 

But just trolling for comments or other perspectives - thanks. 

 

dave

 

ps. A very good golfer (now deceased) who was a friend of a friend encountered that late in life and solved it by putting left handed (actually used a Bullseye type putter and putted long putts righty and short ones lefty (or the other way around - not sure). 

 

If you obsess over the yips you'll never get rid of them. Instead obsess over seeing putts go in the hole. The stroke is somewhat incidental. 

 

Just watched an interview with Lexi Thompson on TGC. She said she doesn't carry a yardage book and basically sees the shot and hits it. If you've watched her play she hits the ball well but struggles on the greens. She grinds way too much on the greens, she's overthinking and her subconscious is looking for a way to miss. 

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, DaveLeeNC said:

So I guess I need a mechanical change that is bigger than the one that I have made such as a legal broomstick putter or maybe crosshanded, or possibly that thing that Bryson does. 

 

But just trolling for comments or other perspectives - thanks. 

 

dave

 

ps. A very good golfer (now deceased) who was a friend of a friend encountered that late in life and solved it by putting left handed (actually used a Bullseye type putter and putted long putts righty and short ones lefty (or the other way around - not sure). 

Having gone through some serious episodes of the yips, I think you are on the right track with making a big mechanical change.  Like your friend, I putted LH for a while.  Longest period was 2 years and even bought a nice LH Scotty. 

 

For one thing it makes your mind work differently and you basically have to rewire your brain to see putts from a different side.  It also changes your expected outcomes of the putt.  Your expectations are automatically lowered and for quite a while you just focus on making a good stroke because it is so foreign to you and you're not worrying about it going into the hole.  I was fortunate because my LH stroke is actually better than my RH one, but alignment was a bit of an issue.  I think I averaged about 32-34 putts/18 and it wasn't so much the number of putts, but the calmness putting LH.  I have never yipped a putt putting LH.

 

It did free me up mentally and eventually I would give RH putting another chance.  It was like learning to putt all over again because it was.  Kinda weird as my brain had already got used to putting from the LH side and the RH side was now weird.  Yip free for about 5 years now.  Every now and then I will yip one, but it is rare because I've gotten anxious about the ball missing rather than just make a good stroke.  Have to keep the process in mind (read the break, read the speed, make a smooth stroke) and if it misses - nobody died.

 

One anecdote I have is from Golf Pro friend of mine.  Out playing with a member one day (remember when the Head Pro still did that?) and he was shocked that the guy putted everything with the toe of his Anser putter.  He asked him why and he said he had no expectation of making the putt that way and therefore he didn't yip it.  Still a terrible putter, but at least it he could finish a hole.

[phizzy30]

I've had chipping yips in the past.  I would essentially get really handsy and jab at the ball which lead to both chunks and blades off the turf.  It rarely happens now.  I solved it by decreasing my wrist action and using mostly the same speed on chip shots, not significantly speeding up or slowing down my arms if that makes sense.  I would also always added unwanted left to right spin on my putts as a youngster.  I solved that by using the gate swing method that Tiger uses for his putts whereas before I would use the what I think was the straight back and straight through putting stroke.    

[bluedot]

I agree 100% that once the yips set in, you MUST make a significant change; it is a rare person indeed that is able to overcome them by any sort of practice routine or mental approach.  In fact, with all due respect, I think those that even suggest that's possible are confusing bad putting with the true yips, and they are far from the same thing.  Golfers who REALLY get the yips often reach the point where they are ready to quit the game, and most yippers were/are excellent players with high expectations for themselves.  It is a very tough deal, no question about it.

 

I had 'em and battled for a couple of years with no success.  The thing that finally got me over the hump was an extremely oversized grip that was flat on top and use of the two-thumb grip.  The two-thumb grip isn't a bad way to putt anyway, but the advantage of it for yippers is that it puts your wrists in an already "broken" position; there is nowhere for them to go.  The bevels of the grip are pressing into the lifeline of each hand, and the more pressure you are under, the harder you can press if you like.  It forces you to use big muscles to putt, and gets the hands and wrists out of the stroke.

 

One of my best friends finally gave up and switched to left-handed putting (right handed player).  That's worked well for him, but there was a fairly long period while he learned.  I've also seen people convert to side saddle, which I personally think is the best way because it gets rid of what I believe to be the root cause which is trying to coordinate a two handed motion.

[Socrates]

Although no longer legal, I for a short time converted to a Belly Putter that anchored near my sternum.  It is one of the few times in my golf career that I couldn't wait to putt.  I made everything until an injury ended my year and the ban came shortly after.  IF the yips ever come back and there is no other method that will work, I will resurrect that belly putter rather than quit.

[Santiago Golf]

Hit alot of one handed putts (both with your right hand and your left hand) ... then hit putts with one hand with your eyes closed .. then two hands eyes closed, and finally two hands eyes open.

 

The key thing to remember is that its a process ... your yips didn't develop in a day, they are not going to fix in day let a lone a month. Keep your expectations low 

[The Pearl]

For those of you that have experienced the YIPS.  Did they or do they coincide with anything "off the golf course"?   Could they be a manifestation of other things going on?  Just a theory....

[Badknee]

That's a possibility. I was a streaky good putter prior to being hospitalized a few months back (66 yoa) I normally shoot in the low-mid 70's from the men's tee.  

However since then my putting has all but disappeared. My tee to green is still there but I can't make anything and I'm talking anything. My lag putting is good but inside 10 feet I'm lucky if I touch the hole even 3-4 footers have become nerve wracking debacles. I've tried left hand low, claw, different size grips and recently went to an Armlock. Initially I thought the Armlock would take care of it but its turning into the same results. You cant play the game when you have 6-7 legitimate birdie putts a round and dont make the first one. It does make you consider quitting.

Edited November 22, 2020 by Badknee
Punctuation

[Zitlow]

This might help, The next time you're facing a pressure putt close your eyes and use your imagination. Picture yourself in an idyllic setting with a waterfall, birds chirping, butterflies fluttering around, beautiful flowers and five scantily clad international supermodels serving you wine, feeding you grapes and rubbing your feet. 

[GolfTurkey]

OP, does the NC in your user name stand for North Carolina? If so, a visit to David Orr (Flatstick Academy) could save you a lot of grief. 

[getitdaily]

I believe the yips are caused by focusing all your attention on the putter head and watching it during the stroke. A contributing factor is getting frozen over the putter. 

 

Try a few things:

 

1. Get a routine where you line up, set your feet, look at the hole, then swing the putter within 1 second of looking at the ball after looking at the hole. 

2. Focus your vision on the front of the golf ball

3. If you put conventional then practice putting with a golf ball wedged between your right wrist and the putter grip. This will help significantly reduce hand and wrist action. 

4. During practice putting, as you look at the front of the ball, try to get your peripheral vision to notice the top of the putter grip. Try to move the top of the grip back and to help ignore what the putter head is doing.

[DaveLeeNC]

1 hour ago, GolfTurkey said:

OP, does the NC in your user name stand for North Carolina? If so, a visit to David Orr (Flatstick Academy) could save you a lot of grief. 

DO is drive-able from where I live. And I have considered that in the past, although at the time it was a full swing thought. 

 

Even without Covid it is not something that I would do with putting at the moment simply because I have no idea what kind of problem I am dealing with. It currently is not a full-on return of the YIPS that I experienced last year. And maybe it was/is just two bad days on the course. It doesn't show up on the practice green and I only play once a week so I am just waiting for my next round. In fact one of my key questions WRT this thread is does the YIPS kind of 'creep back in'? I have no idea. 

 

I have read enough to know that in some cases 'proper' putting technique is not a solution, while in other cases it probably is. Given that I doubt that my YIPS problem (if I have one) will show up on a practice green, a trip to see DO is kind at the bottom of the list (for now). 

 

dave

 

ps. My brother (age 63) had a YIPS problem for about 6 months. His was short putts only and he fixed it with a singular concentration on the hole with putting. I don't know how to know if this is helpful to me - I don't YIP on the practice green (AFAIK).

[tacklingdummy]

I'm pretty sure I got the yips from a few things.  Not being able to play golf because of a bad elbow tendonitis injury and bass fishing a lot more. Casting a few hundred times a day with a flipping motion ingrained that pattern in my right hand that leaked into putting and chipping which really caused the yips.

 

However, now I can putt decently with the claw as it takes the right hand out of the stroke a lot. The one downfall of the claw is putts from 10 feet and under because I don't square the face well at impact. You can get away with it not squaring the face up more on longer putts, but not shorter putts. Might have to implement two different putter grips. One for short putts and one for long putts which drives me up a wall. 😝

[br61]

Can I ask whomever that thinks they have a solution to yips, if they actually have the yips or not. If they don't have the yips, then their theory is out of the window and I won't take their advice. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE YIPS TO EXPERIENCE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE before you can form your own conclusions!!!!

 

I've had it since 2001 but still not giving up the game of golf. My short game is so much better with my determination to beat it. As for putting, I have no chance but to stick with my unanchored long putter. If you think you can cure my yips, dream on because my yips are mostly cause by my Essential Hand Tremors that is not easily treatable but I'm taking meds recently for it. Many golfers who has physical disorders that are causing it that cannot be fixed easily with instructions.

Edited November 24, 2020 by br61

[mjedwards409]

I’ve been struggling with the chipping yips on and off for 6+ years, so I know the helpless feeling.  I’ve always been a good putter.  I was a 2 handicap in high school and college and play to about a 12 or so now at 34.  (A mix between a few bad swing habits setting in, lack of time to practice, and the occasional chipping yips)

 

Ive never had a long term case of the putting yips thanks in part to a great putting lesson I had from a renowned golf coach and sport’s psychologist in college. I’ll withhold his name because i’m probably going to butcher the explanation. (I’ve been doing it so long it’s coded in now so it’s tough to put into words.)  For some reason this approach has been timeless for me in terms of putting, but hasn’t really helped my chipping.

 

Basically, after you have a reliable stroke where you can make the ball roll, end over end (which is practiced without a target) then you’re simply trying to start the ball on the chosen line with your rehearsed putting stroke for the desired speed. By the time you hit the putt, you’ve already rehearsed the stroke you think you’ll need, and you’re only trying to repeat it. 

 

I don’t know if i’m explaining the above very well, but the one thing that stuck with me is the fact that your only goal is to hit the putt you want - not focused on the make (and therefore the miss) at all.  On a 6 footer, I will tell myself “good putt” in my head as soon as the ball leaves the putter face and i’ve already mentally rewarded myself for hitting a good putt whether it goes in or not.  (And as a result, many go in, and the ones that miss are usually because of misreads, midjudging speed, etc) 

 

I don’t know if any of the above makes sense, or if it will work for anyone else, but it’s worked for me. 

[Tanner25]

I was drop kicking putts with my long putter. The putt still went ok; it just popped in the air. I switched to a conventional putter and I am fine. 

[Obee]

2 hours ago, br61 said:

Can I ask whomever that thinks they have a solution to yips, if they actually have the yips or not. If they don't have the yips, then their theory is out of the window and I won't take their advice. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE YIPS TO EXPERIENCE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE before you can form your own conclusions!!!!

 

I've had it since 2001 but still not giving up the game of golf. My short game is so much better with my determination to beat it. As for putting, I have no chance but to stick with my unanchored long putter. If you think you can cure my yips, dream on because my yips are mostly cause by my Essential Hand Tremors that is not easily treatable but I'm taking meds recently for it. Many golfers who has physical disorders that are causing it that cannot be fixed easily with instructions.

 

I had them for 15 or more years. They have been gone for three.

[Obee]

On 11/22/2020 at 7:14 AM, The Pearl said:

For those of you that have experienced the YIPS.  Did they or do they coincide with anything "off the golf course"?   Could they be a manifestation of other things going on?  Just a theory....

 

No connection.

 

I simply cannot hit a putt one-handed without my right hand trembling. Once I tried the "putt with only your right hand" thing, it was immediately apparent I was not going to "psychologize" my way out of the yips. I need to make SIGNIFICANT changes to everything about my putting.

[Badknee]

This is a serious issue no doubt...shot a 79 with 44 putts today. One of my playing partners said it looked like I had a spasm in my hands just at the putter head got to the ball. I think I'm actually following the putter head with my eyes..not necessarily moving my head but when the putter head gets back to the ball I compensate for whatever error I think I may have made? I dont know...at a loss right now. One 4 putt...3 jacked an eagle putt on a par 5 from 15 feet. It truly is enough to make you consider giving it up. Sad thing is I have game tee to green....just piss it away.

[DaveLeeNC]

5 minutes ago, Badknee said:

This is a serious issue no doubt...shot a 79 with 44 putts today. One of my playing partners said it looked like I had a spasm in my hands just at the putter head got to the ball. I think I'm actually following the putter head with my eyes..not necessarily moving my head but when the putter head gets back to the ball I compensate for whatever error I think I may have made? I dont know...at a loss right now. One 4 putt...3 jacked an eagle putt on a par 5 from 15 feet. It truly is enough to make you consider giving it up. Sad thing is I have game tee to green....just piss it away.

 

Interesting that you should mention following the clubhead as a problem. Last year when I was 'fixing' my YIPS issue, that 'problem' was my #2 solution. It seemed to work about as well as the claw grip thing, but the claw grip thing was less strange feeling so I went that route. 

 

This is a strange phenomenon. 

 

dave

[Socrates]

57 minutes ago, Badknee said:

This is a serious issue no doubt...shot a 79 with 44 putts today. One of my playing partners said it looked like I had a spasm in my hands just at the putter head got to the ball. I think I'm actually following the putter head with my eyes..not necessarily moving my head but when the putter head gets back to the ball I compensate for whatever error I think I may have made? I dont know...at a loss right now. One 4 putt...3 jacked an eagle putt on a par 5 from 15 feet. It truly is enough to make you consider giving it up. Sad thing is I have game tee to green....just piss it away.

That was (occasionally still happens) one issue for me.  After I have set up and felt how hard I want to stroke it, I take my eyes off the ball and putter and look at my wrists and make the stroke.  Watching the wrists stops me from watching the putterhead and removes the impulse to try and correct a perceived stroke length error. 

[Badknee]

I'll give that a try. I've practiced with the eyes closed, looking at the cup etc. 

Also think a lot is confidence. I used to think I could make everything and made my share I guess. Now I dont think about making it I worry about 3 putting. A totally different mind set. Unfortunately in a effort to correct whatever it is I've gone down the rabbit hole...gotta find my way out. 🥴

[getitdaily]

7 hours ago, Badknee said:

I'll give that a try. I've practiced with the eyes closed, looking at the cup etc. 

Also think a lot is confidence. I used to think I could make everything and made my share I guess. Now I dont think about making it I worry about 3 putting. A totally different mind set. Unfortunately in a effort to correct whatever it is I've gone down the rabbit hole...gotta find my way out. 🥴

Go get the book "Golf is not a Game of Perfect" by rotella and Reed the chapter(s) on putting. 

[getitdaily]

8 hours ago, Badknee said:

This is a serious issue no doubt...shot a 79 with 44 putts today. One of my playing partners said it looked like I had a spasm in my hands just at the putter head got to the ball. I think I'm actually following the putter head with my eyes..not necessarily moving my head but when the putter head gets back to the ball I compensate for whatever error I think I may have made? I dont know...at a loss right now. One 4 putt...3 jacked an eagle putt on a par 5 from 15 feet. It truly is enough to make you consider giving it up. Sad thing is I have game tee to green....just piss it away.

This is exactly correct (cause). Yips are caused by the mental desire to control the putter head. You follow it on the way back and then believe something is off so you manipulate the putter head with the hands and wrists. Gotta get the putter head out of your mind and significantly reduce wrist and hand action.

 

Knowing your stroke tendencies and the putter that works best for that stroke is important too.

[br61]

9 hours ago, Obee said:

 

I had them for 15 or more years. They have been gone for three.

Good for you.

[getitdaily]

12 hours ago, br61 said:

Can I ask whomever that thinks they have a solution to yips, if they actually have the yips or not. If they don't have the yips, then their theory is out of the window and I won't take their advice. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE YIPS TO EXPERIENCE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE before you can form your own conclusions!!!!

 

I've had it since 2001 but still not giving up the game of golf. My short game is so much better with my determination to beat it. As for putting, I have no chance but to stick with my unanchored long putter. If you think you can cure my yips, dream on because my yips are mostly cause by my Essential Hand Tremors that is not easily treatable but I'm taking meds recently for it. Many golfers who has physical disorders that are causing it that cannot be fixed easily with instructions.

If you had a really bad inside takeaway in the full swing, would you only seek an instructor who had and overcame the same swing flaw?

[RichieHunt]

I've had very random bouts with the yips whether it be putting or chipping and I've seen various golfers have them.  I will say that whenever I go thru chipping yips it's because I focus too much on technique instead of just hitting the shot and carrying the ball to the target.  

 

But in the end, my experience with any yips and what I've seen from golfers that have them is that there is usually a serious mechanical flaw, often times well before impact.  When I see something like throwing yips in baseball, it's often times about the player getting injured and greatly adjusting their mechanics due to the injury.  Then they get health and their mechanics are so off that they can't overcome the errant throws.  I think the same applies with golf except you're less likely to be injured.  For some reason or another, the golfer starts to utilize mechanics that are out of the range that one can hit consistently hit quality putts with.

 

Generally what I see in golf is it's usually a clubface issue.  Golfers that have been playing for a while develop an ability to better square the clubface.  But if it gets severely open in the backstroke then they end up not being able to square up the face using their normal methods and everything starts to short circuit from there.

 

 

 

 

RH