FAULT NO.46 The yips

When you see a golfer stand and freeze over short putts, and then make an uncontrollable flinch with the putter - the ball then missing the hole, sometimes by a wide margin - you are watching someone with that nasty golfing disease the 'yips'.

Yips have been known to make people give up the game in pure frustration at not being about to accomplish something so seemingly simple as to roll a ball a short distance into a hole. The problem is basically a mental one, which, in all probability, started off as being physical. The story goes something like this: a faulty stroke results in some missed short putts. After a while, that becomes a habit; a negative image builds up in one's mind; you cannot see yourself holing the putt; you become tense and anxious; your nerves become uncontrollable and little voice inside you says, "you are a lousy putter, you can't putt". Bingo! you have the yips.

The fault manifests itself mentally in the short putts first, because on longer putts your expectation level is lower, but, it has been known to spread. So, what can you do about the yips?

FIX NO.46
Relax, holing short putts is simple

Let's tackle the mental aspect first. All negative, self-depreciating 'inner-chatter' has to stop. Think positively and logically. Every time you stand over a putt, only two possible outcomes exist: you can either knock the putt in, or you can miss it. So, accept the challenge. Make a good stroke, hit the putt solidly - if you have read it right, and the ball doesn't hit a spike mark, then it has a good chance of going in.

Okay. So now that you are in a better frame of mind, what of the physical aspects? First, you obviously need to relax. Choke down a little on the putterand grip lightly. Keep your stroke short, accelerate through impact and listen for ball going into the cup. Many short putts are missed because of peeking. Practice on three-foot putts by placing a small coin under the ball and notice, say, the date. Then strike the ball at the hole, and keep your eyes focused on the coin. Don't look up until you hear the sound of the ball dropping into the cup. Also, knock in some short putts with your eyes closed. This will get you feeling your stroke instead of worrying about the hole.

For your routine, try this: look at the hole, look back at the the ball, then stroke the putt - it's that simple. Don't wait of freeze over the ball. The less time there is to think . . . the better. To build up your confidence, place six balls around the hole - about three feet away. Once you know them all in, move to four feet. If you miss one, start over again. Get accustomed to knocking into the back of the cup. Putting is basically all confidence - get some and the word 'yips' will stand for "Yes, I'm Putting Super"!