Quick answer: Bernhard Langer first developed the putting yips at 18 and changed his putting grip and putter several times, including moving to the long putter. Dr. Cohn’s view: changes in grip or equipment can help temporarily but may only mask the mental cause.
How Did Langer Handle The Yips?
Bernhard Langer’s problems with putting yips is well chronicled during his career. Despite having the putting yips, Langer was a consistent winner in Europe and later in the US. Bernhard Langer first developed the yips when he was 18 years old. Ouch!
The yips will cause any golfer to shoot higher scores. Most, if not all, of his career he has struggled with the putting yips.
“At one point I was yipping so badly that I four-putted from three feet and actually hit the ball twice. Those were extremely difficult times. I often thought about quitting, but the breakthrough came in 1979,” said Langer.
Langer started his career using a conventional putting grip in which the right hand is below the left. But he’s changed his grip several times in his career to help him overcome the yips with his putting. Despite his struggles he managed to win many tournaments in his career.
How can someone with the yips most of his career win international tournaments as big as the masters?
He was able to reinvent his putting by changing his method and changing the putter he uses. I call this a quick fix.
You change something in your game and feel like a new person. You don’t have any bad experiences with a new putter. It’s harder to label yourself as having the yips with a new technique.
When Langer switched to the long putter, this seemed to help him with his putting problem as with many other golfers who have gone to the long putter.
The idea is that wrist movement is less with the long putter and you use the larger muscles when putting.
Translation: Anxiety will not affect the bigger muscles as much as the smaller ones.
“When you’ve had the yips, you want to keep the small muscles out of your stroke,” said David Leadbetter, who coached Langer.
Was going to the long putter the cure for Langer’s yips problems?
Only Langer can tell you for certain. But I do know that if you only search for the answer in your technique or your putter, you may never find the solution to your putting woes.
Switching putters, changing your grip, or changing your putting style might help you temporarily, but it’s only masking the real problem–what goes on inside your head when you stand over a putt that causes your muscles to spasm.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- Where Do the Driver Yips Come From?
- How to Stop the Yips Cycle Before it Starts
- Can Golfers Overcome the Yips?
Overcome The Yips and Enjoy Golf Again!
Breaking The Yips Cycle Video and Workbook program is ideal for any amateur, collegiate, junior, and tour professional golfer who wants to break out of the putting, chipping, or pitching yips.
Golf coaches and instructors would also be wise to teach “Breaking The Yips Cycle” principles to their players who struggle with tension in their swing or the full-blown yips. This program is perfect for any golfer who wants to improve performance by swinging freely again!
Frequently Asked Questions About Bernhard Langer and the Yips
Did Bernhard Langer have the putting yips?
Yes. Langer first developed the yips at 18 and struggled with them for most of his career, yet he was a consistent winner in Europe and later in the US. He once four-putted from three feet and actually hit the ball twice, and he often thought about quitting.
How did Bernhard Langer change his putting grip?
Langer started with a conventional grip, with the right hand below the left, but changed his grip several times to help overcome the yips. He also changed his method and his putter, including moving to the long putter.
Why does the long putter help some golfers with the yips?
The idea is that there is less wrist movement with the long putter and you use larger muscles, and anxiety doesn’t affect the bigger muscles as much as the smaller ones. David Leadbetter, who coached Langer, said that when you have had the yips, you want to keep the small muscles out of your stroke.
Was the long putter a cure for Langer’s yips?
Only Langer can tell you for certain. Dr. Cohn calls a new putter or grip a quick fix: you have no bad experiences with it, so it is harder to label yourself as having the yips. But if you only search for the answer in your technique or putter, you may never find the solution.
Do putter and grip changes cure the yips?
They can help temporarily, but they may only mask the mental cause. Dr. Cohn’s view is that changes in grip or equipment can give quick relief without addressing the fear behind the yips. For more answers, see the Golf Yips FAQ.
More Yips Articles and Podcasts
- Is the Belly Putter a Crutch?
- How Making Quick Manipulations Midstroke Can Lead to the Yips (podcast)
- Do You have the Putting Yips? (podcast)
