help. how do i cure a case of the yips in my putting stroke?

Question

for whatever reason, my wrist breaks right upon contact with the ball. as a righty, 2 things happen. i either hit it at the toe, pushing the ball right, or i must overcompensate for it where sometimes, i just pull it left. i can always cure it on the practice green or at home, but when i'm on the field, it always comes back so i stopped even practicing for it. the odd thing is putting has always been my strength & this hitch came on all of a sudden ... literally during a round. initially i discounted it thinking it's a one time thing, but it won't go a way. i'm thinking it's mental (mostly anyway), but how do i deal w/ it? any tip or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

it never occurred to me, but reading the last posting, could it be my putter then? not exactly sure, but my yips might coincide w/ me changing putter. i went from an old ping copper head butter to a nike putter. much lighter. could going back to a heavy putter help (if not solve) the problem?

Answer 1

by changing what your pre shot in your putting may make the yips go away. change your grip. if you have a conventional putting grip, try left hand low or split grip by nathalie gulbis.

I cured my yips by simply changing putter and altering my pre shot routine in my putting.

Answer 2

the yips are an uncontrolable neurological deal, but what you are saying you have sounds like just a bad run of putting brought on by this new putter. id go back to the old putter, and if nothing good happens, id do as almost all yip-prone golfers do, either a belly putter or broomstick

Answer 3

Change your focus. We get so stressed over putts. For the next week put your focus on nothing but the speed of the putt. Line it up from behind, get set, then forget your line. Focus only on hitting the perfect speed. You can hit a putt a full 2 feet offline but if your speed is right you're only left with a 2 footer.

Another nifty trick I tell my students is to "listen" for the cup. Put your eyes on the ball, let it drift slightly out of focus before hitting it (focus an inch or two above the ball) then leave your eyes there after you've struck the ball and just listen for it going into the cup.

We're such delicate machines that even changing the slightest thing in our routine and focus can have tremendous results.

Answer 4

You have to deal with it, I've had the yips for years, and the only way I know to help is to accept it. On pressure putts I just concentrate and try to make a straight back -straight thru stroke, hitting the putt hard and solid and not to worry about the 2 foot come-backer, sometimes it works other times will not. But by hitting and making firm putts keeps my confidence up. I think I only yip one out of 10.

Answer 5

I've battled them myself and the way I cured them was practice, practice, practice. I went to the practice green where I play and did the "ladder drill" over and over.

I still do the "ladder drill" before every round while I wait for the rest of the group to show up.

Answer 6

Relax with an ice cold beer. Always clears the mind and clams the nerves.