After reading about yips, I started thinking if I ever had them, to which I can yes positively.

It's funny though, I like to think that going to a superstore grip is what got me past them.

But I think the answer is a little more nuanced.

The fact that the grip was consistent width the whole way through did something for me that was so key:

It let me grip the putter grip further down the handle than in all the pistol grips that required you to be right at the edge to feel right.

So what did that do?

That finally allowed me to let my left arm hang down naturally and then grip the putter, so my lead shoulder and arm were not jammed up, allowing me to make a free stroke.

Proper length of the putter could have been the technical fix as well, but for me, once my lead arm was hanging freely and lead shoulder was squared up, putting has been a joy again.

Share your experiences!

I was having them about a month ago after doing some wacky forward press because it was phenomenal the day before and couldn’t miss with the Pelz putting marble trainer. I started just putting with my right hand only with different putters not at a hole but at a 1 foot square. Then at home I just used my right hand and went claw method. It started to work itself out a few weeks later.

Eddie Never personally had them, but helped cure my brother of them with one simple tip.

So many people look at the putter and how it sits square at address. That leads the peripheral vision to "watch" the putter go back. And if you have the yips....leads to a jerky motion.

When I had him focus on the front letter of the ball (The capital T In Titleist) and don't take his eye off that...he no longer watched the putter, and his brain didn't stop his arms from flowing smoothly..

Giving a ton of people lessons in putting, this simple thing really helped free up the stroke and was amazing how it changed it (for the better)

Had a bad case many years ago that never went away. It was present with left hand low and the conventional grip.

I switched to claw and that solved it.

Funny enough, I've experimented with a conventional grip and it works great on the practice green. First real hole on the course and the yips come right back.

Putt for a month with your eyes closed, its really really hard to yip with you have your eyes closed. (DON'T CHEAT) I have used a board and covered the ball with all of the people I've worked with that have the yips and every single one of them didn't yip it when they couldn't see the ball. A yip comes from the anticipation of impact (AKA mental).

Whats the worst that happens with your eyes closed? you miss but at least it might have a chance.

MatthewASim i had a side saddle putter for 29 holes. I hit the worst putt of my entire life side saddle. I missed a pretty straightforward uphill putt by about 8ft to the right. Genuinely appalling.

5 days later
22 days later

To update this thread, I now 100% look at my target on putts.

On long putts, I look at what I perceive the apex to be, on short putts its something about a foot in front of the ball, and I couldn't be more confident over a putt.

It does look like showboating when I'm looking at the hole when putting, definitely get people looking at me weird haha.

4 days later

Eddie Full on Spieth!

"This is how we do it in the pros...Happy"

    9 months later

    Currently going through this process. I've had the worst case of the yips for a week now after hitting my irons really well for the last couple months, it's like I've never held a golf club before. My only saving grace is that I'm still hitting my woods well. I've gone back and read my swing notes from when I was striking well and that doesn't seem to be helping. I love/hate this game so much.

    I got them bad while I was in college. I transitioned to the belly putter. Once those were banned, I went to the claw and that has worked pretty well. I am left handed, but golfer right handed, so the claw doesn't seem very foreign.

    Bought a Perfect Putting putt station, went to a claw grip, started drinking white claws and rolled putts over the hole to hit the wooden back stop. It's loud as hell when it hits the wood so make sure you family isn't in ears reach. The drunker I got the more freed up I got. As I started getting the Yips out, I then bounced back and forth with grips until it was back to normal.

    P.S. I am being very serious. Eddie can attest to this method working to cure my Yips. Normal people just get a fatter Super Stroke grip.

    ForeLeft

    I actually had a guy on the green while practicing today that was putting exactly that way. I intentionally didn't watch him at all...lol.

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