Putting-Yips - ever heard of that??

[Mellum]

Hi everybody,

I am playing golf for quite a couple of years now and I recently discovered a kind of weird "shivering" or stroking while putting the ball. After some research I found out that this is often called "putting-yips". Have you ever heard of that disorder or do you know any effective methods how to cope with this?

Thank you in advance for answers

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Is that you Delc ?

 

[richart]

I thought yips and shanks were banned words on this forum. Oh blast I have typed them.

 

[cookelad]

I thought yips and shanks were banned words on this forum. Oh blast I have typed them.

Does that count as one infraction or two?

 

[Foxholer]

Hi everybody,

I am playing golf for quite a couple of years now and I recently discovered a kind of weird "shivering" or stroking while putting the ball. After some research I found out that this is often called "putting-yips". Have you ever heard of that disorder or do you know any effective methods how to cope with this?

Thank you in advance for answers

As you might have gathered, this subject has been raised (and perhaps done to death in the opinion of some) quite a few times.

You have my sympathy - it's a vile affliction with no identifiably effective remedy! I have seen sufferers try all sorts of things including Claw Grip, Belly or Long Putters, Left Handed, Left Hand Low and several other possible methods to overcome it!

Please don't wake up our resident 'yipper' DelC!

Good Luck!

 

[duncan mackie]

Hi everybody,

I am playing golf for quite a couple of years now and I recently discovered a kind of weird "shivering" or stroking while putting the ball. After some research I found out that this is often called "putting-yips". Have you ever heard of that disorder or do you know any effective methods how to cope with this?

Thank you in advance for answers

there is a very real human mental state in which the unconscious mind prevents the concious mind from performing, or to a lesser extent, performing well.

it affects different people to different extents and is fundamentally linked to a fear of failure - whatever that might be.

very simple to illustrate -
take a 6" wide plank and put it 1' above the ground; walk from one end to the other, jump up and down a little etc
now place the same plank 20' above the ground and repeat. for some inexplicable reason (from a purely logical perspective) many won't be able to step on the plank, few will manage to jump at all, and most will suddenly find themselves struggling to balance!

the yips is simply a reflection of this when applied to a simple golf stroke - for many it only happens when the pressure is increased, for some they have the mental power to overcome it (or just don't experience it!)

on the other hand poor putting technique is not the yips - but they will certainly have a greater effect on a player with a poor putting technique!

the only known complete cures are
1. seeing a really attractive psychologist, then getting married and giving up golf, or
2. sending large amounts of money to a bank account in Nigeria; they will then contact you with the next steps

 

[c1973]

Although not a remedy to the problem it is possible to lessen the effect of the yips (missed putts) by simply increasing the size of the hole.

 

[CMAC]

Although not a remedy to the problem it is possible to lessen the effect of the yips (missed putts) by simply increasing the size of the hole.

..or your shaft........ :smirk:


until 2016 anyway

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Sweet or Salty popcorn?

 

[cookelad]

You only have to look on tour to see the methods pros are using in attempting to lesson the effects, broomhandles, bellies, the claw grip, left below right, fat grips, Bob Estes putted for a long time one-handed and Bernhard Langer has had his fair share of putters and grips!

 

[c1973]

..or your shaft........ :smirk:


until 2016 anyway

Yep, a bigger shaft would give a more confident stroke.....

 

[Swinger]

I find gripping the club really tightly works for me, wait until your fingers go numb and then your good to make a quick jerky backswing and then decelerate through the ball. Poetry in motion.

 

[mcbroon]

I find gripping the club really tightly works for me, wait until your fingers go numb and then your good to make a quick jerky backswing and then decelerate through the ball. Poetry in motion.

+1 to this. Make sure you turn your hips through the putt too.

 

[SocketRocket]

Do Scandinavians call it the 'Jips'

Just asking!

 

[Swinger]

+1 to this. Make sure you turn your hips through the putt too.

Very good point. you'll probably want to get some knee action in there too.

Hips and knees, hips and knees.

 

[john0]

Does that count as one infraction or two?

Depends which mod it is

 

[HomerJSimpson]

At the risk of being predictable have you asked a pro to look at you. I may be simplifying it but if you get the basics right it may just give you the confidence to stand over the putt with a clear head and just make a stroke

 

[the_coach]

Take it's a genuine Q. So couple things you can try, after checking grip is in the palm of your left hand so almost vertical dwon the length of your left hand (not low across it in the fingers as in a grip for the other clubs) to back of left hand square to target & putter face, right hand goes on so palm is parallel to left palm & in the right hand again more down the 'lifeline' both thumbs down the flat top of putter grip. The larger muscles of the shoulders control the swing motion, head still, legs & feet & hips locked still.

Get three tees (no ball) take putter stance have putter head opposite your center (sternum) place one tee opposite toe of putter, place the other tee back of this 10" on a dead straight line, place final tee 10" forward of tee opposite toe, so you now have a line straight line of three.
If your grip dead tight is 10 & your grip dead light is one, grip with both hands at 5, it should stay at 5 through the complete stroke.
All you are now going to do let your shoulders swing the putter (hands do nothing except grip at 5, elbows same same distance from one another that they were at address) back to the back tee then swing the putter head straight way back past the middle tee to the forward tee & hold that position for 3 seconds (check your upper body head or lower body didn't move) if any part did move put your putter back to middle tee & keep doing this until shoulder stroke the length of the tees can swing the putter through & hold for 3 secs until nothing moves. Could take a few goes at this until you can monitor the only things really moving are your shoulders & the putter head 'swinging' at the same speed back & through to hold finish position.

Once you can do this just put a ball at opposite the middle tee set up as before & swing same tempo back & through (count 1&2 through the stroke) your not to be concerned about putting to a 'hole' in this drill just make the same swing length as the tees holding the finish position putter head opposite the very front tee. Just do this & you should find the balls will all go pretty much the same distance & straight as you've aimed. Distance they go is immaterial to the drill as it will depend on speed of practice putting green, but whatever that is you should see they are all roughly the same distance.
(Important you don't do this drill to a hole)
Yips start because of a bad 'memory bank' of missed putts. this drill is just to get the technique of 'swinging' the putter head a ways better that it will have been. because yips are yes in the mind but also there's some bad technique in there too.

Once you done this repeatedly over a number of weeks to keep reminding your self you can 'swing' the putter.

Find a straight 5' putt, use two alignment sticks place the front tips of these three inches from the hole, both rods parallel to line of putt a quarter of an inch from the toe & heel of your putter, so you have a channel. Place a ball 6" from back end of the rods. Use a shorter shoulder governed stroke back 4" then through the ball forward 4" hold the forward position as before (don't recoil the putter head. Make sure nothing else moves as before except shoulders arms & putter, listen for the ball dropping in, aim to drop 5 on the trott, then 10, then 15, then 20.
Search on utube for Tigers, right hand two tee drill, copy it, get it down good.

When out playing on course work to the feeling you built up on the longer & shorter putt drills. Use the tip on this vid of placing your focus on the top of the putter handle, whilst making the shoulder controlled putter swing. You can if it helps put a white dot on top of the putter handle as Mr Miller did.

[video=youtube_share;cYJnSzuInEE]http://youtu.be/cYJnSzuInEE[/video]