You're Correct!

The yips are downright debilitating. The golfer who catches them trembles with fear over every short putt, hoping against hope that hell somehow hole out – then watching with horror as another stroke misses the mark.

In fact, the yips feed off this very fear. A lack of confidence causes a weak, decelerating stroke. Instead of rapping the ball firmly, the golfer tries to guide it into the cup. His arms and hands slow down as the putter approaches the ball, causing the blade to close. Hence, golfers with the yips tend to miss left and short.

The fix, then, is an abbreviated back-stroke that all but forces you to accelerate the putter through the ball. Try this drill if youre suffering from the yips:

• On the practice green, find a flat spot suitable for putts of 3 – 4 feet.
• Place a ball about 18” from the cup, and stick a tee into the green 6” directly behind the ball.
• When hitting each putt, keep two goals in mind: 1) Do not hit the tee going back; and 2) Make your through-stroke longer than your back-stroke.
• Once you hole five putts in a row from this spot, move to 2 feet and repeat.
• As you move to 2 ½ and 3 feet from the cup, place the tee slightly farther from the ball.
• Always listen for the sound of the ball dropping into the hole before lifting your head.

A short, firm stroke is easy to control and leaves less room for error. Youll find yourself confidently popping putts into the back of the cup, the yips just an ugly memory – because on the greens, the only thing to fear is fear itself.

Dont let the yips beat you. Employ the correct cure – youll find more suggestions below – and triumph will be yours.

Causes and Cures: Missing Short Putts

Take the Panic Out of Short Putts

The Best Drill to Sink More Short Putts

When you take the putter back too far, the natural tendency is to slow down through impact to keep from hitting the ball too hard. This leads to poorly struck putts that wobble off line and often veer left as the putter face closes.

Many golfers hit short putts very softly in the hopes of “dying” it just over the lip. At best, theyll leave lots of putts maddeningly short while others break too much and miss wide. At worst, these golfers develop a decelerating stroke and a nasty case of the yips. The better tactic is to pick a spot on the back of the cup as your aiming point, then fire the ball right into it.

Well, this is certainly the easiest way around the yips. Alas, your playing partners probably wont take kindly to this act of rule-breaking – especially if theres a little something on the line (wink, wink).