What are the putting yips?
The putting yips is a psychological fear of missing short putts. From a mechanical perspective, a short putt can be considered the easiest shot in golf. It’s one of the few areas of the game where amateurs can actually compete with professionals in terms of their ability to get the ball in the hole.
However, if a golfer starts to miss short putts consistently over a period of time, it can set the stage for the formation of the putting yips. Once the yips take hold of a golfer’s mind, putting turns from an easy endeavor into a confidence-draining nightmare.
The putting yips is like a jolt of panic that takes over your mind and body when you initiate the follow-through of a short putt. This psychological panic expresses itself in the form of jitters, tremors, twitchiness, shaky hands, and sometimes even uncontrolled stabbing movements.
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Best Putter Grip For the Yips
The goal of the FlatCat putter grip is to provide you with an overwhelming feeling of how to keep the putter face square in the palm of your hands.
Unlike more traditional ‘Fat’ putter grips, the FlatCat, is wide and flat, rather than big and square.
Ultimately, if you want something that feels very secure in your hands and makes it easy to keep the putter head square, the FlatCat putter grip is a very good choice.
- Helps keep the putter face square
- Flat design helps keep your hands steady and secure
- Used by Justin Rose, Xander Lombard, Dean Burmester
- Ideal for normal putting grip, left hand low and the claw grip
Like the FlatCat, the SuperStroke Traxion Flatso also provides a wide, flat front grip. Used by the likes of Jordan Spieth, the Flatso is a more comfortable alternative to the FlatCat. It is very easy to hold, and it also provides an incredibly square feeling in the hands.
In addition, the SuperStroke Flatso includes a SuperStroke Tech-Port. This makes it possible to add a ‘counter-balance’ weight to the top of the grip, effectively turning a standard putter into a counterbalance putter.
The primary benefit of the counterbalance weight is that it can make it easier to release the putter head. For this reason alone, it can help alleviate the yips in certain cases.
Please note – The counterbalance weights are sold separately for about 10 dollars.
BJM Kotahi Putter Grip
BJM have created one of the most unique putter grips ever made in the form of the Kotahi. Unlike normal grips, the Kotahi features a triangular design, which promotes a ‘Palms Up’ method of holding the putter.
When holding a putter with the Kotahi grip, you will automatically reduce the mobility of the joints in your hands and arms, which makes it a very good solution for a twitchy, yip-like putting stroke.
- Reduces involuntary, unwanted movement in the putter head
- Encourages a ore consistent putter arc and stroke length
- Reduced face rotation and variations between the rear and target swing
- Increased sweet spot contact point
- Help to overcome physiological glitches aka “The YIPS”
The SuperStroke Fatso 5.0 represents the holy grail of fat putter grips, and it also offers one of the most reliable ways to ‘quiet the hands’ during your putting stroke.
If you have shaky hands or a tendency to stab the ball with short putts specifically, the SuperStroke Fatso could be the answer to your problems.
The Fatso 5.0 is the largest version, but there is also a Fatso 3.0 which might be more suitable for players that only need a bit of assistance rather than the full monty.
Some of the best players in the game use a forward press in order to improve their efficiency on the greens.
The primary benefit of a forward press is that it helps to keep your hands ahead of the ball at impact, resulting in a more consistent strike and a more consistent roll.
However, the problem with a forward press is that it can be quite tricky to set your hands in the exact same forward press position, every time you step up to putt. This is where the LAB Golf Press II Grip comes in. The LAB Golf Press Grip is built with a 3-degree forward press that is established when you insert the shaft of the putter into the Press Grip. This image can help clarify how this works.
As you can see, the Press Grip establishes an automatic forward press, while keeping your hands directly over the ball at address. There is no other grip in the game that can do both of these things at the same time.
In other words, you don’t have to worry about the alignment issues that can crop up when implementing a forward press with a standard grip. The Press Grip makes it easy to line up your putts, while still reaping all the benefits of a consistent forward press.
The only caveat is that you may need to add some loft to your current putter, in order to ensure the optimal launch conditions off the putter face. This is because a forward press quite literally delofts the putter face. Increasing the loft of your putter is one of the easiest ways to remedy any problems that may arise if the loft of your putter is too low.
Can the yips be cured?
It is safe to say that the putting yips can definitely be cured, if you are willing to explore different putting styles, different putting grips and even specific putters that are designed to eliminate the yips.
For instance, Bernard Langer struggled with the yips for more than decade during the height of his golfing career. However, after switching to a broomstick putter, his ability to drain short putts improved dramatically. With verifiable evidence proving that he can actually hold short putts, the psychological anxiety that made him twitchy under pressure was removed.
Ultimately, the best way to cure the yips is to make a drastic change. That translates to:
- A new putting technique
- A new putter grip
- A new putter
These are all valid ways to give yourself a fresh start on the greens, while saying goodbye to all your past failures.