Curing the yips!

[delc]

Interesting article in the latest edition of Golf Monthly on this subject. It seems that a significant percentage of golfers do suffer to some extent from the yips and there are two types, the acceleration yips and the rotational yips. Think I suffered from both! It is not normally a psychological condition. Previous advice has generally been to find another way of putting, such as using broomhandle or belly putters, or a different grip such as left hand below right or the claw grip, but the first two are being outlawed in the next version of the rules. However, the article claims that the yips can be cured by minor changes in technique. I will give this a try and report back.

 

[woody69]

I thought in amateur golf, the "yips" was just an excuse for someone who was a poor putter, like me!

 

[delc]

I thought in amateur golf, the "yips" was just an excuse for someone who was a poor putter, like me!

I was a reasonably good putter before I developed the yips in my mid 50's. At their worst I was taking 4 or 5 putts on some greens and could miss 6" putts. Changing to the claw grip got my putting back to its previous standard, if not a bit better.

 

[Foxholer]

I was a reasonably good putter before I developed the yips in my mid 50's. At their worst I was taking 4 or 5 putts on some greens and could miss 6" putts. Changing to the claw grip got my putting back to its previous standard, if not a bit better.

So why are you even contemplating going back to the old style and risking re-introducing them!

Completely daft idea imo!

 

[HawkeyeMS]

So when I responded to one of your many previous posts on the subject saying that the yips was just poor technique, was I infact right?

 

[delc]

So why are you even contemplating going back to the old style and risking re-introducing them!

Completely daft idea imo!

The claw grip can be a bit awkward for very long putts and I haven't yet found a way of using it for chipping, which is another problem area for me.

P.S. I also hate letting things beat me! :mmm:

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I thought in amateur golf, the "yips" was just an excuse for someone who was a poor putter, like me!

Thats about right - poor technique

 

[delc]

So when I responded to one of your many previous posts on the subject saying that the yips was just poor technique, was I in fact right?

No, not really. You know that you have the yips when you can make a smooth practice putting stroke, but when you put a ball in the way all you can manage is a horrible jerky snatch at it! It's as though the putter goes off in your hands!

 

[Foxholer]

The claw grip can be a bit awkward for very long putts and I haven't yet found a way of using it for chipping, which is another problem area for me.

P.S. I also hate letting things beat me! :mmm:

Seems to me you are more likely to get them back than find a 'proper' solution. Stay well away from anything that could trigger their return would be my advice!

 

[delc]

Seems to me you are more likely to get them back than find a 'proper' solution. Stay well away from anything that could trigger their return would be my advice!

But at worst I could go back to using the claw grip. I would put in a fair amount of practice before trying it out during a round anyway!

 

[chrisd]

It is not normally a psychological condition.

It has to be psychological, what else can cause it?

 

[delc]

It has to be psychological, what else can cause it?

Have you read the GM article yet Chris?

 

[HawkeyeMS]

It has to be psychological, what else can cause it?

Bad technique

 

[chrisd]

Bad technique

I agree, so your brain knows that your technique is poor and it doesn't want you to complete the task as it knows you won't get the right result, it makes you pull out of the shot?

 

[delc]

Bad technique

The only change I had to make to cure my yips was adopting the claw grip. Stance, posture, head position and ball position stayed exactly the same!

 

[chrisd]

Have you read the GM article yet Chris?

I certainly have and it appears very contradictory. The only thing that makes us perform tasks is the brain. When people talk about muscle memory it's nonsense, muscles have no way of memorising afaik it's all down to the brain and poor technique.

So, as I understand it, if your brain realises that the task you've set it can't be completed by the method you're using it will try and abort the swing or change it - if what I'm saying is correct then it is mainly psychological surely

 

[chrisd]

The only change I had to make to cure my yips was adopting the claw grip. Stance, posture, head position and ball position stayed exactly the same!

But a change that your brain knew was more likely to achieve the result

 

[HawkeyeMS]

The only change I had to make to cure my yips was a radical change to my technique

Fixed

 

[duncan mackie]

The only change I had to make to cure my yips was adopting the claw grip. Stance, posture, head position and ball position stayed exactly the same!

you haven't cured them; you have simply neutralised their impact in your situation.

your bodies reaction to the relevant situation involved the right hand - so you have isolated that.

there is also a significant crossover between bad habits that sneek in due to poor technique and similar uncontrolled actions generated by the body in a more fundamental condition (we have come to know as the yips).

when, as a single figure golfer, you find yourself standing over a short chip and are completely unable to take the club away from the ball for fear of what's going to happen next you have the yips........arguably you can never cure it, only find ways to control it.

 

[chrisd]

you haven't cured them; you have simply neutralised their impact in your situation.

your bodies reaction to the relevant situation involved the right hand - so you have isolated that.

there is also a significant crossover between bad habits that sneek in due to poor technique and similar uncontrolled actions generated by the body in a more fundamental condition (we have come to know as the yips).

when, as a single figure golfer, you find yourself standing over a short chip and are completely unable to take the club away from the ball for fear of what's going to happen next you have the yips........arguably you can never cure it, only find ways to control it.

But I still maintain that the only thing stopping the take away is your brain!