Preround Anxiety And The Yips
Preround Anxiety And The YipsDo you worry about your golf game before you even step onto the first tee?
That’s the story from Jerry who wrote in to say the following…
“Dr. Cohn, I get very quick for some reason and lose all natural ability to hit the golf ball. I cannot slow it down. Lately, I have lost my ability to clear my mind and get target orientated. My last several rounds have been complete disasters. My golfing friends don’t even recognize the golf that I am playing. I am so lost I feel like I have the yips with my golf course presence, just stepping on the first tee is a struggle. Any thoughts?”
Obviously, golf is no longer fun for Jerry because of his anxiety about playing poorly or not playing up to his ability he shows on the driving range.
The first step is to uncover your fear of failure about golf…
Golf was a game you loved to play for many reasons, now it’s filled with fear and anxiety.
Golfers have fear for many reasons including:
- Not playing up to one’s potential
- Fear of shooting a high score
- Fear of embarrassment
- Fear of not meeting others’ expectations
- Worrying about not being accepted into a golfing group
Your swing doesn’t just disappear when you step on the golf course. The fear changes how you approach the game.
In the yips cycle I’ve detailed in the past, when the fear hits, the common response is to go to over control of the golf swing.
“Be careful and make a good swing” sounds right to you, but kills your ability to make a free swing, one you’ve grooved into your motor memory system.
If you can’t clear your mind, you are over thinking the golf swing, which is similar response to the fear and anxiety.
Sometimes you can “feel the fear and do it anyway.” That means get used to letting your swing rip even when you feel uncomfortable.
As I’ve said in previous tips, you have to do two things to free up the swing:
- Uncover and overcome the ultimate source of your fear, and
- Free up your swing by understanding how to trust it again.
Both of these work hand in hand because you will gain confidence when you can swing the club freely without over control.
When confidence builds, so does motivation to overcome your demons.
Related Article: Performance Anxiety And Putting Yips
Fearlessness, freedom, and confidence are the mental keys to unlocking your golf swing from the grips of the yips…
Get all my mental strategies for freeing up your game—from tension to the yips—by following this link:
Discover how to break the yips cycle!
Overcome The Yips and Enjoy Golf Again!
Golfers, do you suffer from:
- Anxiety, tension and over control of the stroke or swing?
- Performance anxiety about what others will think?
- Inability to wing the club freely on the course, despite the fact that you can in practice?
Check out: Breaking the Yips Cycle
Golfers: Learn how to overcome the fear that keeps you stuck in a vicious cycle
Instructors: Learn how to give your students the mental game edge.
Coaches: Help your team members play with freedom instead of fear or tension.
Breaking The Yips Cycle: How to Putt, Chip, And Pitch Freely and Enjoy Playing Golf Again
What are Golf Psychology Students Saying?
“I wanted to tell you I have broken out of the yips short putt issues. I have won 2 of the last 3 competitions. Right now my putting confidence is sky high. I HAD the putt yips for past 6 years. I contribute the success to two of your drills. First focus hard on the hole, forget about all else. It took awhile to get the 100% focus, but I could see the results coming. Then your advice “Let go and trust your ability.” Immediate result. Wow what a relief. Having putted for so long under yip pressure, I now feel I can be put under extreme pressure to win the club championship. I now look forward to short putts.”
~Ian Dodd
“I was pleased to find your website and tips to address the mental issues with the yips. Your drills made sense to me. Other people only tackled technique. That isn’t the problem with me as I can stroke them all nicely on the practice putting green. I can even hit the long ones on the course. I will keep working at it and thank you for your interest.”
~Pat Collins
Download Our FREE Anti-Yips Putting Drills
Do you spend most of your practice time trapped by stroke or mechanics on the practice green?
Are you unsure how to practice to hep you overcome the putting yips?
Golfers: Learn how to putt with freedom using proven putting drills!
Download our FREE putting report and drills to help you unlock your putting potential today!
What are golfers saying about our putting yips drills?
“Patrick–something seems really weird here. You are giving out so much good material to help with the yips, and I feel like I am stealing from you! I really like your style! You don’t see that very often–ever as a mater of fact! You are an amazing guy!”
~O’Jay Omlid
“I went on to the putting green right after receiving your mail. What a great feeling of freedom. No tense at all, smiling and more consistent than ever before. I have great rounds during the years, but you have taken me to a new level with you tips for the yips. I am very grateful – if you visit Denmark I will invite you out for dinner.”
~Søren Meinertsen, Denmark
Overcome The Yips With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our mental coaching students saying?
“I write you because it’s been 6 months since I started the program Breaking the Yips Cycle. Before that I was putting with a long putt and due to the ban on anchoring I switched to a short putt and started your program. The yips program has helped me a lot. I have been able to focus on what matters instead of thinking about the outcome or fearing a yippy stroke.”
~Ricardo Abogabir C.
“I’ve had the yips for 30 years. With the anchor ban, I thought I needed to quit golf. It was frustrating hearing golf experts and commentators state that no amateur was going to quit golf because of the anchoring ban. Obviously, these experts don’t know anything about the yips. I’m so glad I found you. Your drills really helped. It might sound silly, but the biggest thing that helped me is knowing that the yips is mental. It might sound crazy, for someone to have the yips for 30 years, and not know it’s mental. I also believe I know my reason for having the yips, and I see how my insecurities in every day life contributed to the yips. Thank you for your help.”
~Kevin Stankewicz