What Causes Putting Yips?

The very mention of the words "putting Yips" bring fear to all that have ever experienced them. I know the feeling and suffered it for years. Fortunately, I found the cause and the cure. Putting is now my strong suit and still getting better.

After googling "putting yips", I have come to the conclusion that nobody is willing to say they know what causes the yips. But I know exactly what causes them.

Many think it is a purely psychological thing. Somehow, the mind just refuses the victims request that it make a putting stroke. All kinds of physical symptoms are supposed to show themselves because of the mental state of the golfer.

Others seem to think it is a nervous condition brought on by fear, or some deep rooted emotional distress the golfer keeps bottled up.

So who is right? Is it mental or physical? Perhaps a combination?

I used to suffer the yips, and even quit playing for while to save myself the humiliation of having to putt.

First I blamed my grip and tried three or four new ones. But I still yipped.

Then I blamed my equipment and built several new putters trying to find one that worked. It didn't help, probably because I was still not addressing the real cause.

Then one night, I was talking to an old man in a pool hall. He was watching me practice and offered me some friendly advice. Based upon what I learned that night about the game of pool, I had an epiphany and solved the mystery of the yips.

I was able to conclude, and then prove beyond any doubt, that every target game we play is the same. They all have one fundamental thing in common and it was lacking from my putting game. That one fundamental flaw in my approach to putting was the cause of my problems.

The yips are caused by what I have termed the "impact reflex". In a nutshell, the human eyes have a natural reflex that causes you to avoid watching impacting objects. The response is either a blink, or a "look away" effect.

This reflex becomes more severe when, usually at about age 35, the human eye lenses harden. This causes a constant strain on the eye muscles and sends the effects of the impact reflex to other parts of the body in a natural effort to avert the impact to begin with.

It also shows itself by "looking up", deceleration, and a myriad of other putting problems. They are all caused by the impact reflex. Your mind just doesn't want to see impacting objects.

In the late 70's, I believe it was Golf Digest or Golf Magazine that ran an article about keeping your eyes on the ball. It had a closeup of the faces of all the greats of the time at the exact instant of impact. Nicklaus, Watson, and many other great players all had their eyes closed.

All golfers are affected by this reflex on every shot. But with putting it becomes magnified because momentum is not really in charge of the club like on a longer shot. Even a longer putt.

You have to beat the impact reflex to putt well from close range. Putting is no different than any other target game. Applying the one fundamental all target games have in common to your putting, you will naturally putt better and overcome the impact reflex.

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