Tee yips

patricks148

patricks148

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i know Ian Baker finch had them... but now so have i.

2 years ago i drove the ball straight, not long... just straight. at about that time i worked on my iron play, so I'm now so consistent with them i hardly ever hit a bad one ( well sometimes)

my driving is now pretty ropy. i keep ruining scores on the back 9 esp with the constant Easterly we have had which makes the last 3 holes tough off the back tees.

even to the extent now a 3 wood ive been using off the tee also is going wrong on these holes... no consistent shot its either a big block or a pull/ hook.

I have seen a pro 3 times and each time he has struggled to see anything wrong as ive stripped the ball long and straight. if i go to the practice ground its the same..

Today i stuck my a 2 iron (and i mean a 2 iron mp37 with s400 shaftIMG_0293.jpg) and took the driver out the bag. used 3 wood up until the 15th then used the 2 iron
16,17 and 18

which resulted in 5, 4, 5,which is 1 over for these holes and could have been better had the par putt not lipped out on 16

my two mates were killing themselves laughing on 18 when i went... 2 iron, 3 wood, wedge.

have another tie tomorrow night so will see how it goes with no driver.

its almost like i don't know what to do off the tee with a driver in my hands???

anyone else had anything like this????
 
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I suspect you are a far better golfer than me, not overly tricky, but driving was a major weakness for me for many years. I would not say I am fully in control now but I am better. I asked a pro to give me a few triggers that I think of when driving. For me it is take back slow and low, get my left shoulder under my chin and then hit through slowly to keep my arms from swinging through too fast. If I do all of this then I hit it fairly straight. If I forget then it becomes a bit random. Perhaps, for a spell, you need to find a set of triggers that meet your needs, accept a drop in distance, and get your confidence back.

Clearly you can hit it well, this is mainly psychological. In particular, you are now reaching the tee and expecting to fail. Get back to basics for a while, lose 20yds and get your driver swing back.
 
Oh I feel for you, hope you manage to get it sorted.

Remember reading the story over baker-finch and thinking OMG how terrible would that be.
 
Henrik Stenson had it as well. Was the source of his struggles a few years back, hence why he now opts to take 3-wood off the tee so often and rarely uses a driver.
 
bobmac said:
Are the last 3 holes into the wind?
Click to expand...

at the moment Bob, the course is designed with the prevailing wind which is a Westerly so the back 9 is down wind, the last two "summers" we have had an easterly pretty much all the time with the odd Northerly.

16 (420), 17 (377) and 18 (520) down wind i would say all birdie chances, particularly 18 with a good drive it can be just a short for your 2nd
 
Being on a tee definately affects me. Not sure why. Like the op i can stripe them at the range and even keep a photo of launch data to remind myself i can hit big and straight drives.
Maybe its having people standing and watching - loads of times ive topped a tee shot 50 yards but will then walk to the ball myself and hit a great 3 wood off the deck. If i can do that off the ground then why not off a tee a minute earlier? Frustrating.
 
big_matt said:
Being on a tee definately affects me. Not sure why. Like the op i can stripe them at the range and even keep a photo of launch data to remind myself i can hit big and straight drives.
Maybe its having people standing and watching - loads of times ive topped a tee shot 50 yards but will then walk to the ball myself and hit a great 3 wood off the deck. If i can do that off the ground then why not off a tee a minute earlier? Frustrating.
Click to expand...

Thing is before the 2015 season i found the driver the easiest club in the bag to hit, it used to annoy my mate Dave who struggled with the driver and i used to just walk onto the first tee and stick it down the middle every time with not so much as a practice swing
 
I've always said I play off my handicap despite my driving not because of it.
It's a constant struggle....
I generally hit 3 wood as far as a driver..........
But Mini drivers don't work for me - they're no better than a standard 3 wood - tried 13° ones as well...no real joy.
 
during the time since it started you had a systematic same timed repeated psr? including picking a real definitive target as opposed to just thinking middle somewheres ?

if this is a mental anxiety issue now - best ways around that my take is both making a small change in psr (if keep trying to repeat what always did work but now doesn't then stuff probably not goin to change) and also in focus of thought process

difficult to say what that 'new physical trigger' for the on the tee box to make the swing would/could be not knowing what the 'norm' has been or is now

but say if for instance the driver head behind the ball has always been rested on the ground - change to hovering it - or if always hovered then start off sole at rest on the ground but then lifting vertically up a tad off the ground then tap the ground with the sole and repeat tap motion maybes 2, maybes 3 times then think 'complete' as a single swing thought

if you been ringing the changes a whole bunch with 'drivers used' so it changes every couple outings try canning that and picking one and sticking with it

maybes the biggest help could be changing the focus on the tee box from 'internal' (worrying/thinking about the swing motion and the shot consequences) to a focus completely 'external' so the target - but has to be the smallest definitive target so a particular point on the horizon or if can see the landing area a particular small area to land the ball left or right of fairway - or a very definite line over a bush, bunker whatever it is and/or just picture a 10' square some 30 yards that the ball is going to travel through or picture a 10' square at teh apex of flight the ball goin to start to fall to the ground through

my take would still need a definite repeatable psr that always takes the same 8/10/12 secs (whatever) to complete - pick definitive target/line or where that 10' square in the air is always from behind the ball & maybes introduce one full rehearsal swing at 50%/60% but that swing still from that behind the ball position - so when you stepped up to the ball and into set-up thinking only of target there's nothing to interrupt that flow - one look, two, three whatever number picked stays the same and as soon as the eyes return to the ball the swing starts but the 'thought' is still that target

as practice (no ball) maybes worth spending some time putting yourself in a complete balanced driver finish position from set-up (no swing) holding that for a slow count of 3 - then back to address and straightways making a swing to that finish position you just seconds ago have been in - and again holding the finish this time after the swing for that slow count of 3

if you got an 'orange whip' or some of those weight sleeves to fit around the hosel of old driver maybes worth while every week spending some time making complete 50% ' full swings' backswing/thruswing/backswing/thruswing as a rep of 10 in continuous motion

if you don't have one maybes the Pro at Club or driving range would let you borrow an orange whip for your practice session if not in use at the time

would think transferring the thought process on the tee-box away from internal to external - but gotta to be a smallish defined target could be a real big help - but it might not produce results straight off may take little working at it

on practice with driver Davis Love III's dad used to set him (and his brothers) an exercise he had to do every session
he had to start with a full swing, teed up normal (motion just as long and full as his normal swing) but starting around 30% effort only to make center contact so send ball out on line - swing had to finish as a full normal swing would so no sawn off end a couple balls at this then same at 40% etc up to 80% - all had to be full length swings - center contact - start on line stay on line -
not a very easy drill to do but the 'change' of having to do that in practice may help some

if can get out on a quiet time on the course maybes pick 2 holes you can use driver on that run up then down (loop) use 2 balls - 1st one with 3 metal 2nd with driver - with external focus on defined target but on the '1st' hole you can only make a full swing with each at 40% on the second both at 60% and repeat round loop couple times at 40%/60% on what's going to be the last tee box of the session 2 balls 3m/driver at 80%
 
Doesn't sound like real Yips to me - simply 'pressure' late in the round!

Long walk(s), but try playing the back 9 first a couple of times.

Coach's advice should provide foundation to bring back confidence though!
 
Having exactly the same problem, have never been a big hitter but was always straight.

Now have lost distance and just scared of the driver. Hit my irons fine and like you have gone to a hybrid off the tee.

I know I can do it but just not happening at the moment, I know it will come back though
 
Could you ask a playing partner to video your drives on your phone? Get a collection of your bad ones over a few rounds to show your pro.
 
Having the same problem driver going miles right ,been hitting rescue to keep it in play which is no use into a 15-20 mph wind in your face. Got a lesson from my old teacher no machines just old school watching and trying things its getting there but not going far but fairway finding, standing to tall and left hip coming up to high which a club face wide open, change of posture staying a bit lower and swinging more underneath and weight on left side bit more.
 
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