Bunker yips?

[Foxholer]

There's no such thing as chipping yips or bunker yips and very few cases of putting yips. It's just poor technique leading to lack of confidence, the answer is practice (that goes for putting as well, I am aware putting yips is a real thing (although have never witnessed it) but most people who say they have the yips don't, they just need advice and practice.

Sorry Hawkeye, but I've seen 2 guys with chipping yips. And 1 was/is a Pro!

Agree that there are many that say they have the yips that don't. But you will certainly recognise them when you see them!

Never heard of Bunker Yips though and, because of the less delicate action, don't believe such a problem exists. Prepared to believe it when I see it though!

 

[G_Mulligan]

Oh Dear! Another person who doesn't understand the problem! A yip is an involuntary muscle twitch which the golfer has no control over. Practising if anything makes the problem worse, and even if you can manage to make a smooth stroke on a practice green, the yip will re-appear when you are under pressure out on the course. The only cure apparently is a change of technique, such as the claw grip, or putting left-handed if you're normally right handed.[/QUOTE]

whilst I agree for the most part I could not disagree more with the last statement. You should not have change your technique to such an extent or even at all. It is more about breaking the negative cycle with some psychological techniques such as thought stopping, positive self-talk, and rebuilding confidence.

 

[G_Mulligan]

really you can get the yips with any closed skill action (where the object is not moving) so snooker/pool, darts, tennis (serve) and most of all golf. Often it is a complete refusal of the body to perform the desired action at all. The jerky, twitchy movements often are a result of trying to force your limbs to move. When you don't have time to think and just react it would be very rare to ever develop the yips.

 

[delc]

Oh Dear! Another person who doesn't understand the problem! A yip is an involuntary muscle twitch which the golfer has no control over. Practising if anything makes the problem worse, and even if you can manage to make a smooth stroke on a practice green, the yip will re-appear when you are under pressure out on the course. The only cure apparently is a change of technique, such as the claw grip, or putting left-handed if you're normally right handed.[/QUOTE]

whilst I agree for the most part I could not disagree more with the last statement. You should not have change your technique to such an extent or even at all. It is more about breaking the negative cycle with some psychological techniques such as thought stopping, positive self-talk, and rebuilding confidence.

I know several players who, after everything else failed, changed to putting left handed. In our clubhouse today I overheard a conversation about a former member who was off scratch, but then developed the yips in his putting and chipping so badly that he gave up playing golf and started watching football instead.

Changing to the claw grip cured my problem (and Sergio Garcia's), but I can't really explain why just turning my right hand over had this effect. Possibly because my right arm is rotated almost as far as it will go, so no chance of a twitch, so far anyway! I didn't change my left hand grip, stance, posture, or anything else. Maybe I am using slightly different muscles in my right arm.

 

[Foxholer]

The only cure apparently is a change of technique, such as the claw grip, or putting left-handed if you're normally right handed.

Rubbish!

Most common maybe (I won't say easiest, because easy and yips are mutually exclusive!). But I know of at least 1 person who has overcome yipping (and I can guarantee that's what it was) of both chips and putts without a 'dramatic' change of technique!

Btw. Sergio hasn't ever had the yips as far as I know - even his 20-odd waggles weren't yips. And he's just a poor putter, but found a method of being less poor! Can you point out anywhere where Sergio has real yips?

And still don't believe Bunker Yips, which is what this thread is about, exist - it's not a delicate action and it only seems to affect delicate actions. But if someone can demonstrate/indicate real yipping in a Bunker, then I could be convinced.

 

[Lang Stone]

I'm inclined to agree with Foxholer on this one. I recently posted that I may be developing the yips on my chipping...since posting here I have taken on board a few ideas suggested (more to do with technique than anything to be honest) and feel my confidence is returning...now to the OP's original question I also do not believe you can develop bunker yips as such maybe because the required action is not (as stated above) as delicate an action as is required for chipping around the greens.

edit I forgot to mention that my bunker play is pretty solid unlike my flaky chip shots

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I can't see how a bunker shot can generate a yip. I can see it over a short putt where a jerk will take the ball offline. I know darts players at superleague and England B level getting dartitis and pepper the skirting board. However with a shot played at speed, even a delicate splash shot to a tight pin, I can't see how there is anyway the random jerk that is a yip has time to manifest

 

[Airlie_Andy]

Perhaps yip isn't the correct term. I'm pretty sure its a mental thing though. As I said I know the technical aspects of playing a bunker shot and I try to enter the sand an inch behind the ball but im about a foot behind that resulting in the ball going nowhere out of soft sand or the club bouncing off harder sand and thinning the ball into the face. This hitting 12 inches before the ball doesn't happen on any other shot which makes me think its a mental issue. Anyway im going to the practice bunker later today to try and work on it some more but thanks for the replies everyone.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Oh Dear! Another person who doesn't understand the problem! A yip is an involuntary muscle twitch which the golfer has no control over. Practising if anything makes the problem worse, and even if you can manage to make a smooth stroke on a practice green, the yip will re-appear when you are under pressure out on the course. The only cure apparently is a change of technique, such as the claw grip, or putting left-handed if you're normally right handed.

I understand the problem alright, I just don't believe 99.99999999% of people who claim to have the yips actually have the yips. Crisis of confidence maybe, but not the actual yips. I think the term is thrown around far too easily but is actually present in a minute number of cases. Everyone else has poor technique that leads to lack of confidence - this is not the yips.

I myself had a chipping\bunker issue last year, in practice I was fine, on the course I had no confidence and would end up chunking the ball leaving it a few feet in front of me. I solved it by working on my technique.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

I know several players who, after everything else failed, changed to putting left handed. In our clubhouse today I overheard a conversation about a former member who was off scratch, but then developed the yips in his putting and chipping so badly that he gave up playing golf and started watching football instead.

Changing to the claw grip cured my problem (and Sergio Garcia's), but I can't really explain why just turning my right hand over had this effect. Possibly because my right arm is rotated almost as far as it will go, so no chance of a twitch, so far anyway! I didn't change my left hand grip, stance, posture, or anything else. Maybe I am using slightly different muscles in my right arm.

Sergio didn't have the yips, as most people don't (including most of the people at your club that you claim had the yips)

 

[hovis]

Imo peoples biggest problem with poor bunker play is commitment to the shot. Its hard to get you brain to allow you to get some speed through the shot when the pin is so close.

 

[Foxholer]

Perhaps yip isn't the correct term. I'm pretty sure its a mental thing though. As I said I know the technical aspects of playing a bunker shot and I try to enter the sand an inch behind the ball but im about a foot behind that resulting in the ball going nowhere out of soft sand or the club bouncing off harder sand and thinning the ball into the face. This hitting 12 inches before the ball doesn't happen on any other shot which makes me think its a mental issue. Anyway im going to the practice bunker later today to try and work on it some more but thanks for the replies everyone.

That seems to be the sort of thing that happens when you have too shallow an attack - and are trying to 'help' the ball out of the bunker. As the_coach posted, lots about bunker play is counter-intuitive!

Hitting down (slightly steeper than normal) and finishing high will ensure you commit to the shot.

Practice, experimentation or (best of all) a lesson are the best ways imo.

Good Luck

 

[delc]

Sergio didn't have the yips, as most people don't (including most of the people at your club that you claim had the yips)

If you have the yips you definitely know about it! You can read the line and pace of the putt, but it becomes almost impossible to make the putt go down the chosen line. It's almost as if your body doesn't want to carry out the putt and flinches away from it. The putter develops a mind of its own! Sergio's putting definitely became a bit twitchy after his defeat by Padraig Harrington in the Open. He tumbled down the rankings before finding a better way to putt (for him) using a version of the claw grip.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

If you have the yips you definitely know about it! You can read the line and pace of the putt, but it becomes almost impossible to make the putt go down the chosen line. It's almost as if your body doesn't want to carry out the putt and flinches away from it. The putter develops a mind of its own! Sergio's putting definitely became a bit twitchy after his defeat by Padraig Harrington in the Open. He tumbled down the rankings before finding a better way to putt (for him) using a version of the claw grip.

I didn't say that people with the yips don't know about it, I said most people who say they have the yips don't, they just can't putt due to poor technique. Sergio didn't have the yips

 

[G_Mulligan]

I understand the problem alright, I just don't believe 99.99999999% of people who claim to have the yips actually have the yips. Crisis of confidence maybe, but not the actual yips. I think the term is thrown around far too easily but is actually present in a minute number of cases. Everyone else has poor technique that leads to lack of confidence - this is not the yips.

I myself had a chipping\bunker issue last year, in practice I was fine, on the course I had no confidence and would end up chunking the ball leaving it a few feet in front of me. I solved it by working on my technique.

while agree that not everyone who claims to have the yips actually has them, the crisis of confidence combined with poor technique is one of the most common causes. Just because someone is not twitching violently and can't putt at all, does not mean they do not have the yips. It is not really a question of a definite yes or know. Like most things in life there is a sliding scale from mild to severe. If you freeze over a putt or chip and can't bring your self to move for even a second you just yipped a little bit. This can then be a slippery slope to full blown obvious yips unless kept in check.

 

[delc]

I didn't say that people with the yips don't know about it, I said most people who say they have the yips don't, they just can't putt due to poor technique. Sergio didn't have the yips

So why did he adopt the claw grip? There's no other particularly good reason for using it!

 

[G1BB0]

I have picked up out of more bunkers than I care to remember. Playing end of last year I was given a tip to swing in slow motion. it works for me

 

[HawkeyeMS]

So why did he adopt the claw grip? There's no other particularly good reason for using it!

Because players change their putters\grip all the time to try and sink more putts, sergio wasn't sinking as many putts as he'd like so he changed.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

while agree that not everyone who claims to have the yips actually has them, the crisis of confidence combined with poor technique is one of the most common causes. Just because someone is not twitching violently and can't putt at all, does not mean they do not have the yips. It is not really a question of a definite yes or know. Like most things in life there is a sliding scale from mild to severe. If you freeze over a putt or chip and can't bring your self to move for even a second you just yipped a little bit. This can then be a slippery slope to full blown obvious yips unless kept in check.

So the yips is caused by bad technique then?

 

[delc]

Because players change their putters\grip all the time to try and sink more putts, sergio wasn't sinking as many putts as he'd like so he changed.

You might like to read this link:

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/sergio-garcia-smiling-again-week-royal-st-georges

or this:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arc...ers-putting-yips/story-e6frg7sf-1111116318925