Quick answer: After his 1976 Open win, Johnny Miller struggled with the putting yips for years. He changed his grip, stance and stroke, tried left-handed putting and used a 48-inch putter, but his breakthrough came at Pebble Beach in 1994 when he changed his mental approach.
Changing Your Mental Approach
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 can’t explain why people putt badly at times,” Miller said. “It might be mechanical, or it might be mental. Figuring out the cause is the difficult part.”
Like most golfers in a putting slump, Miller tried to improve his game by working on the technical side of putting.
He adjusted his grip, stance, and technique. He tried to switch to left-handed putting. He tried looking at the cup while stroking the putt instead of the ball.
When these changes didn’t work or were a temporary fix, he switched to a specially designed putter touted to help players overcome the putting ‘yips.’ An average putter has a 33- to 36-inch shaft and the putter Miller began using had a 48-inch shaft.
The new putter helped him regain his form for a period of time. He tucked the putter under his right arm-pit to keep his club steady and straight. Although this helped Miller, he still struggled with the putting yips throughout his career.
Then in his final and most remarkable victory at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1994, Miller made a break through. He realized that in order to putt without the yips, he needed to change his mental approach.
While standing over an 18-foot putt on the last hole for the win at Pebble Beach, he pretended to be a clutch putter, just like his son, to help him make the putt.
”I was over that putt knowing I needed it,” Miller said. ”My son is a real good money player for dollars. He makes ’em when he needs to. I figured, ‘Well, I’ll pretend I’m him.’ So I was sort of a third party to the putt and it went right in the middle,” said Miller.
I’ve always agreed that the best way to become a great putter is to start thinking like a great putter.
If you label yourself as having the yips forever, it’s hard to break free of that self-given label. You want to imagine the putter you would like to be.
How many young golfers do you think imagine themselves as and emulate Ernie Els or Tiger Woods’ game?
Miller was on to something profound… Start thinking like a great putter… or better yet, start imagining you are a great putter who putts with confidence and a smooth, relaxed stroke!
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- Why do Tour Pros Struggle With The Yips?
- Why Some Golfers Only Struggle With Long Putts
- Where Do the Driver Yips Come From?
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Frequently Asked Questions About Johnny Miller and the Yips
Did Johnny Miller have the putting yips?
Yes. After winning the 1976 Open Championship, Miller began struggling with the putting yips and failed to win for the next three years. He even labeled himself as having the putting yips, and he struggled with them for most of his career.
What did Johnny Miller try to fix his putting?
Miller adjusted his grip, stance and technique, tried putting left-handed, and tried looking at the cup instead of the ball. He then switched to a specially designed putter with a 48-inch shaft, tucked under his right armpit. It helped for a period, but he still struggled with the yips.
What finally helped Johnny Miller at Pebble Beach in 1994?
At the 1994 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Miller realized he needed to change his mental approach. Standing over an 18-foot putt on the last hole, he pretended to be his son, a clutch putter. Being a third party to the putt, he said, helped it go right in the middle.
Why do technical fixes for the yips often not last?
Miller said you can’t explain why people putt badly at times; it might be mechanical or mental, and figuring out the cause is the difficult part. His technical changes were temporary, and his breakthrough came when he changed his mental approach.
Should you label yourself as having the yips?
Dr. Cohn says if you label yourself as having the yips forever, it is hard to break free of that self-given label. Instead, imagine the putter you want to be, one who putts with confidence and a smooth, relaxed stroke. That is the shift Miller made at Pebble Beach.
More Yips Articles and Podcasts
- Tips For Golfers Who Struggle With Putting Yips (podcast)
- Have You Tried Everything To Solve The Putting Yips? (podcast)
- How Can You Cure The Yips? (podcast)
