Have I got the Yips?

In the golf world, the 'yips' can be used to describe any kind of loss of putting form but amongst golf coaching professionals, it is normally reserved for a serious breakdown in the psycho-neuro-muscular process of hitting the ball at all. Often saying one has the yips becomes a problem in itself. and cements the decline in performance You may not actually have a major malfunction but just think that you can't putt.  So one early assessment to make may be asking what exactly you mean by 'having the yips' . Do you not hit it straight? Do you not hit it 'well timed', do you drag left or push right? Do you have any control of length? It may be a good idea to avoid thinking you have the yips because of the perceived view amongst the golfing world of how serious this can be.
 It is possible that you have simply become too conscious of the mechanism of putting and your attentional focus has moved onto the wrong part of the skill i.e you are trying to do something consciously rather than just allowing yourselves to perform. Some of Timothy Galway's Inner Game techniques may be useful to shut up the conscious mind while letting the putting go ahead( See The Inner Game of Golf by Timothy Galway). You may like to practice putting with your eyes closed, or looking at the hole rather than at the ball. This last technique deliberately moves the focus of attention away from the impact zone and often produces a much better timed strike on the ball. This is of course a fundamental of good putting. Once the feel of the  strike has improved, return to normal technique.
Not many golfers  have a putting lesson and it is always worth a thorough check of the fundamental technique in terms of alignment, head position and line of putter head through the hitting zone. Put a video camera on the floor behind the putter straight down the line of the putt and watch what the putter head does. Anything not square with the required direction will provide a clue as to where you are going wrong. Head position is crucial.If the eyes are not right over the ball at address, the mind has to work in three dimensions instead of two making the maths much more complicated and therefore more likely to go wrong.
If you would like to discuss these ideas do call or email.
I currently offer a one-hour putting review/lesson dealing with all aspects of putting drawing on my 38 years of golfing( 8 handicap) and my undergraduate dissertation teaching absolute beginners to putt .....oh and my work as a sport psychologist!

regards
Alastair Evans-Gordon M.Sc
Sports-IQ
Sport Perfomance Consultancy
alastair@sports-iq.com
London UK