Golf World: How to ditch the yips

Most golfers have gone through a period of bad putting. And some of us have had the putting yips and not been able to make it from two feet.

So what are the putting yips? Well, here goes.

You know you have the yips when you cannot control your forward stroke and your putter accelerates so fast that you hit the ball well past the hole. It is an uncontrollable jerking of the right hand on the downstroke.

Obviously, the right hand gets very tight as the putter seems to move out to the right on the forward stroke. There is no real tempo to the stroke but just a jerky jabbing with the right hand.

The cause is really mental. Your anxiety and lack of confidence in making the putt actually causes the problem. You are trying so hard to make the putt that your brain shuts down temporarily as you wish the ball in the hole. You are experiencing the hit impulse. You are hitting at the ball instead of stroking through the area where the ball is.

Here are some tips to get out of the yips.

-- Relax your grip pressure. Try to keep it constant throughout the entire stroke. Putt with a towel wrapped around your grip if necessary.

-- Don't put so much pressure on yourself to make the putt. Just concentrate on the process and don't get so involved in the result. Just try to make a smooth stroke. After all, how important is that 3-foot putt anyway?

-- Practice with your eyes closed or even look at the hole when you putt.

-- Change your technique. Go to left-hand low, the claw grip, the belly putter or any method that will take you out of your familiar stroking motion. This will fool your brain.

-- Putt with an object other than a golf ball. A tennis ball is a good substitute for a while. Again, this will fool your brain.

-- Practice with your right hand only. It is very difficult to yip a putt if you are putting with one hand only.

-- Invest in a longer, heavier putter. This will allow you to swing the putter slower and give you better tempo and rhythm to your stroke.

-- Put five to 10 balls in a line when you practice your putting. Hit them consecutively without stopping. As you do this count to yourself -- one and two. This will help your rhythm and take your focus off trying so hard to make the putt.

-- Use a stance and setup that is entirely different than your normal stance.

-- Don't put any unrealistic expectations on yourself. Instead of trying to make the putt, just try to make a good stroke.

-- Putt to a water bottle or a soda can but try to stay away from putting at a real hole. It is the expectation that you must make the putt that causes all of the anxiety and the eventual hit impulse.

Most people, even the pros, will get the yips from time to time. It is a mental thing and not a physical thing. Keep your tension level low with an extremely light grip pressure. Don't try so hard to be perfect as nobody is in this game.

And, finally, take a deep breath before you putt. This tends to relax your muscles. No more yipping, let's hope.

Watch the players in this year's Ryder Cup matches. The best putters always win.

(Dr. Jim Suttie, the 2000 PGA Teacher of the Year, is director of instruction at The Club at TwinEagles in North Naples, Fla. and at Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont, Ill. He also is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher and rated No. 15 by Golf Digest. Suttie coaches the Florida Gulf Coast University men's golf team. E-mail him at jmsuttie@aol.com.)

(Golf World is a feature of the Naples Daily News in Florida.)