Picture this. You are standing over a three-foot putt on the eighteenth, with your Saturday fourball watching. You have made this stroke more times than you can count. Then, as the putter starts back, your wrist gives a small jerk of its own and the ball slides past the hole.
You stand there wondering how your own hands could let you down. If that has happened to you more than once, you already know the word for it.
What the yips actually are
The yips are sudden, involuntary twitches, jerks or freezes during a fine movement that used to be automatic. In golf they show up most often in putting and chipping, usually on short shots that look easy.
Researchers generally describe two overlapping causes. For some golfers the yips are mainly a form of choking: performance anxiety that disrupts a well-learned skill. For others there is a neurological element called a task-specific focal dystonia, which means muscles contract without your say-so during one particular task. The two can overlap in the same golfer.
This matters, because it means the yips are not a flaw in your character and not simply bad technique. It also means that if you notice a tremor or cramping in other activities, such as writing or holding a cup, you should see your doctor before assuming it is only a golf problem.
Why trying harder can make it worse
A putting stroke you have repeated for years is stored as a smooth, automatic programme. It tends to run best when the conscious, analysing part of your brain leaves it alone.
Under pressure, the opposite tends to happen. You start steering. You think about the takeaway, the face angle and what your partners will say. That busy, effortful thinking is often linked with high beta, a fast brain rhythm associated with tension and worry.
The body responds to the tension. Muscles that should take turns may start firing together, the grip tightens, and the stroke loses its flow. Typical signs are:
- A jerk or stab at the ball on short putts
- Freezing over the ball, unable to start the stroke
- A grip so tight your forearms ache
- Dread on the walk up to any short putt
- Putting well on the practice green and badly on the course
Each miss then becomes evidence for the fear, and the fear feeds the next miss. That loop may be what makes the yips so stubborn.
A good putt is not something you force. It is something you get out of the way of.
The quiet moment before the stroke
Some research on skilled golfers and other precision athletes suggests that the brain grows quieter just before a good shot, with more alpha activity. The evidence is limited, but the idea is a useful one.
Alpha is the rhythm of relaxed wakefulness. You produce it when you are calm and not working at anything in particular. An increase before the stroke may mean that the inner commentator has gone quiet, leaving the practised movement to run cleanly.
You may know this state from the inside. It is the putt where you looked, felt the distance and simply rolled it. The aim of training is to make that state easier to find on purpose.
How neurofeedback may help
Neurofeedback is practice for the brain. Sensors on the scalp read your brain's electrical activity and a computer plays it back as sound and images. The sensors only read. Nothing is sent into your brain.
When your brain shifts towards the pattern being encouraged, the feedback rewards it. The idea is that, with repetition, the brain learns what that state feels like and how to return to it. For golfers, common aims in neurofeedback are a calm alpha state and less high beta. Another is SMR, the sensorimotor rhythm, which is linked with a still body and steady attention.
Every client starts with a 19-channel brain map, which takes about an hour and a half. Training sessions last 45 to 60 minutes. The what to expect page gives a fuller picture.
The aim is a quieter head over the ball, which may mean less dread on short putts and a quicker recovery after a bad hole. Results vary, and neurofeedback is a complement to good coaching, not a substitute.
What you can try on the course
A few habits help the thinking brain step back:
- Keep the same short routine for every putt, whether it is for birdie or double bogey.
- Breathe out slowly as you settle over the ball.
- Look at the hole, then putt without lingering, before the commentary starts.
- Hold the putter as lightly as you would a tube of toothpaste you do not want to squeeze.
- Work with a teaching professional on grip or putter changes, which help some golfers.
For a broader look at brain training and the game, see our article on golf excellence. The same pressure pattern appears in cricket concentration and, away from sport, in staying composed in high-stakes negotiations.
Common questions
Are the yips physical or mental?
They can be either, and often both. In some golfers the main driver is performance anxiety. In others there is a movement problem called a task-specific dystonia, where muscles contract involuntarily during one particular action. Because the two can look alike, a twitch that persists or appears in other activities should be checked by a doctor.
Can neurofeedback get rid of the yips?
No one can promise that. Neurofeedback is a complementary approach that may help the brain settle before and during the stroke. It is likely to be more relevant where anxiety is the main driver. Results vary, and a movement disorder needs medical advice.
What is the alpha state golfers talk about?
Alpha is a brain rhythm linked with being relaxed but awake. Some research on skilled golfers and other precision athletes suggests a rise in alpha in the moments before a shot, which may reflect the thinking parts of the brain stepping back so that a well-practised movement can run without interference. The evidence is limited.
The yips can make a lifelong golfer want to give the clubs away. Before you do, it may be worth finding out what your brain is doing over the ball. You are welcome to contact us for a relaxed conversation about it.
- golf
- the yips
- putting
- pre-shot routine
- alpha waves
