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Understand (and cure) your short game yips

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The short game yips are a plague to scorecards everywhere. This special form of yip happens to golfers who have no problem with their full swing or putting stroke, yet get performance anxiety around the greens. This leads to frustrating chips and pitches — skulls, chunks, shanks or even a complete inability to take the club back.

I see it all the time with my students, and even some tour players. Whether it’s an issue with technique or a mental block, the short game yips one of the hardest faults to overcome.

The process of getting over the yips may be embarrassing, but accepting your problem and working to improve is the only solution.

The following are my go-to drills to help someone improve their short-game technique, help them transfer it to the course and beat their short game yips forever.

Note: After studying a variety of 3D motion graphs from players of all skill levels, there are other items to look at when diagnosing a short-game problem, but these are the areas most commonly affected. 

Swinging the club on plane

Plane is the first thing that I look at with my players who are struggling with their short game.

Most golfers know that they need to swing the club on plane during a full swing, but they forget about this in the short game, mainly because the swing is so short. The yips are caused by a manipulation of the club head that the body feels it needs to make to hit a solid shot. If the club is traveling on plane, then the club will return to the golf ball without needing any manipulation.

In most cases, I see the golf club swing under plane, which causes it to bottom out too soon behind the ball. That leads to chunks and bladed shots.

Below is an example of a good pitching motion from 30 yards where the club swings naturally on plane.

The club has started back nicely on plane, the golfer will hinge the club from here for a 30 yard pitch which is one of the strengths of his game.

The club has started back nicely on plane. The golfer will hinge the club from here for a 30-yard pitch.

The golfer then has pivoted his body nicely while allowing the club to swing freely through which keeps it on plane.

The golfer then pivots his body nicely while allowing the club to swing freely through, which keeps it on plane.

The hands don’t have to lead

One of the first things golfers learn about hitting chips and pitches is that the hands must lead the clubhead into the shot. As a result, the club will have a descending blow into the golf ball, allowing for ball-first contact. When you apply this method of chipping, however, the margin for error becomes surprisingly small. You must return the club to the back of the ball precisely to achieve the desired result.

I prefer that my students master the ability to return the club head to the ball just like they had it set up at address. The student returns the club and hands to the same position they were in at address, meaning the club would be ahead or even with the hands.

This creates a wider swing arc at the bottom of your swing, both in front of and behind the ball, creating a bigger margin for error.

An example of the hands leading method that requires manipulation and expert contact to be able to be successful.

An example of the hands-leading method that requires manipulation and expert contact to be able to be successful.

The method that allows the club head to swing more freely through the ball which means the club will pass the hands at some point in the swing and possibly before the ball on higher lofted shots.

This method allows the club head to swing more freely through the ball, which means the club will pass the hands at some point in the swing and possibly before the ball on higher-lofted shots.

Of course, every yip is different, but swinging on plane and not forcing the hands to lead often produces the desired improvement.

Even when the yipper fixes the technical aspects in his short game, mental ramifications may still linger without some dedicated time practice drills. If you find yourself in that camp, try these two drills.

Drill 1: Short backswing, long follow through

When I teach golfers to let the club head swing through a short-game shot, most times they become timid about swinging the club with any speed. They instinctively try to control the club head by making a long backswing and swinging slowly through impact.

What I like to see is a backswing that stays low to the ground and doesn’t get past the right knee. From there, accelerate the club through to about a full finish, letting the club head swing through the ball and past the hands. Many golfers are amazed at how much speed they can generate with ease and how they can control the height and distance of the golf ball.

Drill 2: Short Game 21

You must simulate pressure in your practice to start to feel comfortable with any new technique, but especially your short game when trying to cure the yips.

Play this game with a friend, and pick a location around the chipping green. Each player will hit one shot from that spot and whoever is closest earns a point. If someone holes it, they earn 5 points. Rotate locations, and the goal is to be the first player to get 21 or more points.

You can alter the rules or scoring system to fit your desire or time constraints, but the point is to compete while trying to master your new technique. If you need more pressure, bet on who buys dinner to add some extra incentive.

The short game yips can be a mystery to many golfers and as a teacher there is no set agenda for helping someone improve this issue. But for me, the motions and drills above are a great place to start.

Drop your fear of the short game and learn to love it being around the greens again!

Scott Hogan is a PGA Certified Teaching Professional in Teaching and Coaching based out of Chicago, Illinois. He is the Head Coach at Mother McAuley High School and the Director of Player Development at Governor's State University. He is also a Top 50 Instructor as named by the GRAA and TPI Certified. Scott teaches a variety of players from professionals, competitive juniors to weekend warriors from all around the country. To contact Scott about in person or online lessons, email scott@scotthogangolf.com. **Follow on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scotthogangolf/

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. David

    Feb 25, 2015 at 12:11 pm

    Good info Scott. If you find yourself in the Chicago area definitely try to get a short game lesson from Scott. I had all sorts of issues with the short game and Scott used many of the above items to work through many of my problems. It’s always a work in process for me, but the week after my lesson I took home the trophy on a buddies trip mainly because I wasn’t leaking shots around the green. Thanks again Scott!

  2. alan

    Feb 16, 2015 at 3:59 pm

    nevermind i see that it was north berwick. that and crail were my favorites

  3. alan

    Feb 16, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    what that picture taken at north berwick golf club??

  4. Lo

    Feb 5, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    You forgot tempo. I’ve had the chipping yips for years and now I’m (shivers) beginning to heal slowing down my tempo. I had gotten so scared that I didn’t realize I was swinging the club lightning fast playing my chips; now I only focus on swinging the club in slow motion and my game around the greens is finally getting better.

  5. Dave reid

    Jan 31, 2015 at 4:17 am

    Yes….that is north berwick….

  6. Chuck

    Jan 30, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    I’ve played St. Andrews (Old), Muirfield and Carnoustie. As well as Prestwick, Troon and Turnberry. The list of those I still want to play is long, and North Berwick is at the top.

  7. Scott Hogan

    Jan 30, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    Hey guys, thanks for the comments and glad the article helped. I recently launched my remote coaching and to kick it off, if you want some help for free send me an email and I’ll let you know how to send me a video! Email is scotthogangolf@gmail.com.

  8. Bwood01

    Jan 30, 2015 at 10:56 am

    (sorry for the duplicate posts – it took a while for them to go through…)

  9. Bwood01

    Jan 30, 2015 at 10:55 am

    Cont… I have to hit bump and runs from everywhere around the greens because of the yips. I also like the hybrid/ wood bump and run over putting from off the greens. These are my ‘go to’ shots. What’s really odd here is that I am a good bunker player – probably because it requires fuller swings at times.

    • Double Mocha Man

      Jan 30, 2015 at 12:44 pm

      Bwood01, you are a good bunker player because you can hit that shot “fat” and be screamingly successful.

  10. Bwood01

    Jan 30, 2015 at 10:53 am

    Thanks for the information. This read was helpful for me. I have the chipping and pitching yips and they can ruin the possibility of a great score quickly.

  11. Bwood01

    Jan 30, 2015 at 10:48 am

    Thanks for the information. This read was helpful for me… I have always been a good ball striker/ putter and I have won 15 amateur type tournaments since 2009… However; I have the chipping and pitching yips and for those of you that don’t, be glad of this. I would have won several more events if only I could pitch and chip… I have had a few lessons to get fixed, but always find myself going right back to my old habits. Because of this, I have to hit bump and runs from everywhere around the greens. I also like the hybrid/ wood bump and run over putting from off the greens. These are my ‘go to’ shots. What’s really odd here is that I am a good bunker player – probably because it requires fuller swings at times. When I put any ‘lofted club’ in my hands from off the green in grass, look out. My hands hinge quickly on the takeaway and I get too steep. I have tried everything from different bounce and grind options and various techniques like dead hands, forward press, hinge and hold – and nothing fixes it. The swing plane is likely my fault here – I get inside to quickly and steep. Guess I will have to get some video of me down the line to investigate further. Feel free to send suggestions/ thoughts to: bwood01@austin.rr.com as it would be appreciated! watching videos help, but putting in to application is the tough part.

  12. Chuck

    Jan 30, 2015 at 10:45 am

    Dear GolfWRX,

    Can someone please tell me the source of the photograph that leads off this story? Specifically, what course is that? Is it the West Links at North Berwick? That golf course is #1 on my bucket list.

    Chuck

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Instruction

The Wedge Guy: Beating the yips into submission

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There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.

And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.

But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.

When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.

Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.

For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!

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Instruction

Looking for a good golf instructor? Use this checklist

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Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.

Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.

If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.

1. Cultural mindset

What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!

It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.

2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling

Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.

3. Learning theory basics

It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.

As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.

So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!

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What Lottie Woad’s stunning debut win teaches every golfer

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Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.

The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).

But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.

Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)

Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.

What Woad did:

• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances

• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins

• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets

• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”

Why most golfers mess this up:

• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”

• Distance becomes more important than accuracy

• They try to be heroic instead of smart

ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.

The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire

Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.

How she responded to pressure:

• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th

• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys

• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th

• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked

What amateurs do wrong:

• Get conservative when they should be aggressive

• Try to force magic when steady play would win

• Panic when someone else makes a move

ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.

Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game

Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.

Her mental approach:

• Focused on her process, not the competition

• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)

• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”

Her physical execution:

• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)

• Methodical iron play

• Steady putting

• Everything effective, nothing spectacular

ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.

Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built

The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”

Her winning mindset:

• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself

• Focused on playing well and contending

• Made winning a byproduct of a good process

• Built confidence through recent experiences:

  • Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
  • Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
  • Each experience prepared her for the next

What this means for you:

• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up

• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine

• Commit to every shot

• Stay present in the moment

ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.

The Real Lesson

Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.

The fundamentals that won:

• Hit more fairways

• Find more greens

• Make the putts you should make

• Stay patient under pressure

That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.

FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.

 

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.

 

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!

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