Golf Psychology Strategies for Golfers
Does Tiger Woods have the yips? Is he losing his mental edge with the putter on the greens? We used to think of Tiger as one of the best putters under pressure when trying to win a golf tournament. Now rumors are circulating about Wood’s having the yips with his putter or at least the putter is letting him down at the wrong time: during final rounds. One example: During the final round of the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, Tiger … [Read more...]
Most great players in the world--people like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer--have a well-defined philosophy about how to approach putting. Whether you are a professional or an amateur, you too should have a philosophy of putting to guide your behavior on the course. It's like having a game plan. Your philosophy about putting might influence your freedom when putting and thus help you avoid the yips. Most players have one of two basic … [Read more...]
Golf instructor and analyst for ESPN Hank Haney battled the "yips" for twenty-years before developing a solution to overcome them. He credits his strategy to more research aimed to identify the underlining source of the cause of the yips. "Research shows that the yips are combination of motor skill problems that cause a player’s brain to distort the message being sent to the muscles," said Haney. To erase the yips from your putting stroke, … [Read more...]
Golfers who are labeled with the yips experience a condition that causes muscular contractions or jerking at impact. They are seen by others as golfers who choke under pressure. Research shows that anxiety and stress accelerates the involuntary movements in many neurologic disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and Tourette’s syndrome. This information lead sports psychology researchers to look at the relationship between … [Read more...]
Putting is a game within the game. Golf presents no greater mental challenge than your inner battle on the putting green. To putt great everyday, you first have to win the inner battle so you can then focus on getting the ball in the hole. The weird part about putting is that you can have the best stroke in the world and still not be a good putter. You may be able to read greens better than anyone, but that won't help you make putts if you … [Read more...]
Johnny Miller's golf career would likely be way more impressive had he not been plagued by the putting yips most of his career. After his second major in 1976, at The Open Championship, Miller began struggling with the ‘yips’ and failed to win for the next 3 years. Even worse, he labeled himself as having the putting yips. He tried lots of strategies to eliminate the ‘yips,’ but found it difficult to find a permanent solution. "You … [Read more...]
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