How to Overcome The Yips
Do you become frustrated because you, all of a sudden, seem to have lost your ability to hit shots that should be easy to execute?
Do you fear that you might never shake the “yips”?
For many golfers, a case of the yips is a difficult thing to admit. The yips are as seen as an ailment that needs to remain secret.
Think of all the unpleasant symptoms caused by the yips:
- Deteriorating confidence
- Unraveling mechanics
- Frustration to the max
- Over-analyzing, over-thinking and second-guessing play
- Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
- Fear that you might have to stop playing golf forever
No one wants to experience negative feelings about the sport in which they were successful and once loved.
You may feel you are the only one suffering the yips, but the reality is that the yips are more common than you think.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that 33 percent to 48 percent of all serious golfers have experienced the yips.
Robert Damron, former PGA Tour pro and a regular contributor to FOXSports.com, understands the yips firsthand.
DAMRON: “I played (with moderate success) on the PGA tour for 10 years… But sometime before the 2006 season, the driver yips showed up. Out of nowhere, I couldn’t do things that used to be second nature.”
Damron details how the yips can cause your mental game and golf game to unravel:
DAMRON: “As soon as I walk onto the tee box, the demons in my head start telling me everything that can possibly go wrong. Am I gonna snap hook the ball? Block cut? Top it completely and watch the ball dribble off the tee as everyone points and laughs?”
“Then I grab my driver, and even though I’ve gripped a club a billion times, somehow it doesn’t fit properly in my hand… As I stand over my shot, everything feels out of place. The target isn’t there anymore… I’d like to back off and try my setup again, but I know the results won’t get any better.”
“Terror washes over me as the club starts back. Every muscle in my arms seems to be misfiring.”
“The ball goes places on the course that have never been seen by human eyes, and if I somehow accidentally hit the fairway, my relief is short-lived because I remind myself that I am going to have to go through the whole agonizing process again on the next hole.”
If you want to combat the yips, you need to admit that you have the yips and strengthen your mental game.
Most golfers suffering the yips spend countless hours revamping, tweaking or over-hauling their swing or stroke, but that doesn’t address the underlying issue… the mental aspect of golf.
Golfers who develop a hitch in their swing seek golf pros to iron out their mechanics. If you have a hitch in your mental game, a mental game coach can help you iron out your mental mechanics.
Try These Tips to Combat the Yips:
- Tip #1: Admit it! It’s not saying, “I have the yips and it’s terminal.” If you admit you have a case of the yips, you lessen the stigma or hold it has over you and can start working towards a solution.
- Tip #2: Improve your mental game. Since you haven’t loss your ability to golf, you need to find out the ultimate fear that’s infecting your golf game and freedom on the course.
A mental game coach can help you get back on track and help you regain that sense of vigor you once had.
Related Golf Psychology Articles:
- The Role of the Mind in the Golf Yips
- How Danielle Kang Overcame the Yips
- How Kevin Na Battles The Yips
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