If you’re asking “How can I beat the yips?” you’re not alone.

The yips affect a huge number of golfers, particularly low-handicap and competitive players. Research suggests that over half of low-handicap golfers experience yips-like symptoms at some point in their career.

Yet despite how common they are, the yips remain one of the most misunderstood problems in golf.

Most golfers try to fix them by:

• Changing grip or putter

• Practising short putts endlessly

• Focusing harder

• Trying to “trust it”

Sometimes that helps briefly.
Most of the time, it doesn’t.

Because the yips are not a technique problem.

What Are the Yips in Golf?

The yips are an involuntary movement disruption, usually seen as a jerk, tremor, or freezing of the hands or forearms during putting.

They:

• Appear most often on short putts

• Get worse under pressure

• Come and go depending on situation

• Affect skilled golfers with solid technique

Crucially, research shows golfers with the yips do not lack ability. Their coordination is normal outside of the putting stroke.

This tells us something important:

The yips are task-specific and pressure-dependent, not a swing flaw.

What Causes the Yips?

Studies exploring golfers’ thoughts and feelings during yips episodes show a clear pattern:

• Fear of missing

• Anxiety before the stroke

• Over-attention to mechanics

• Internal focus on “don’t mess this up”

Instead of letting the stroke run automatically, golfers start monitoring and controlling a movement that should be subconscious.

This is where the problem really starts.

Why Trying Harder Makes the Yips Worse

When a putt starts to matter, the brain interprets it as threat.

The stress response switches on automatically:

• Heart rate increases

• Breathing shortens

• Muscles tighten

• Cortisol rises

• Fine motor control drops

At that point, thinking clearly or “being confident” isn’t possible. The body is already braced.

This is why:

• Mental tips stop working

• Self-talk backfires

• Focusing harder makes things worse

You’re no longer dealing with a mental skills issue.
You’re dealing with a nervous system response.

How Do You Actually Beat the Yips?

You don’t beat the yips by fixing your stroke.

You beat them by calming the nervous system, so your trained skills can run again.

This is where EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) comes in.

Why EFT Works for the Golf Yips

EFT is a mind–body technique that involves tapping on specific acupressure points while focusing on the issue causing the stress response.

From a performance perspective, EFT:

• Reduces cortisol

• Calms the fight-or-flight response

• Lowers emotional intensity

• Restores access to automatic movement

Instead of trying to “push through” nerves, EFT works at the root of the yips – where the stress response is triggered.

Golfers using EFT often notice:

• Less tension over short putts

• Fewer intrusive thoughts

• More natural tempo

• Faster recovery after mistakes

Which directly addresses the patterns seen in yips-affected golfers.

Why Mental Tips Alone Don’t Cure the Yips

Mental strategies are useful when you’re already calm.

But when the yips appear:

• The reaction is already running

• The body is already tight

• Logic arrives too late

EFT doesn’t rely on positive thinking or willpower.

It allows you to work directly with:

• Fear of missing

• Embarrassment

• Frustration

• Past yips experiences

When the emotional charge drops, the trigger loses its power.

When to Use EFT for Best Results

EFT works best when used consistently, not just during a crisis.

Key times to use it:

• Before a round – so the body isn’t bracing for danger

• After mistakes – to stop emotional carry-over

• After rounds – to clear frustration and prevent patterns repeating

This is how golfers stop the same putts, holes, and situations producing the same yips response.

Can the Yips Be Cured?

For many golfers, yes.

The yips are not permanent damage.
They are a learned stress response.

When the nervous system stops perceiving danger, the yips lose their grip.

That’s why EFT isn’t a gimmick or a quick fix. It’s a practical way to help play consistent golf again.

Want Help With Your Yips?

If you’re struggling with the yips and want to find out more, schedule an enquiry call here.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Golf Yips

What are the yips in golf?

The yips in golf are involuntary muscle movements that disrupt the putting stroke, often appearing as jerking, freezing, or tremors in the hands or forearms. They usually occur under pressure, particularly on short putts, and are not caused by poor technique but by a stress response affecting fine motor control.

What causes the yips in golf?

The yips in golf are caused by a stress response in the nervous system. When a putt feels important, anxiety increases muscle tension and disrupts automatic movement. This leads golfers to over-control the stroke, reducing fine motor control and triggering involuntary jerks or freezing during putting.

Are the yips mental or physical?

The yips are both mental and physical. Psychological pressure triggers a nervous system response that creates physical disruption in movement. This is why the yips feel physical in the hands or arms, even though the root cause is stress rather than a technical fault.

Can the yips be cured?

Yes, the yips can be overcome. They are not permanent damage or a loss of skill. When the nervous system is regulated and pressure no longer triggers a stress response, golfers can regain natural movement and consistent putting performance.

Why do the yips happen on short putts?

Short putts create higher psychological pressure because golfers expect to hole them. This expectation increases fear of missing, which activates the stress response. As muscle tension rises and fine motor control drops, the yips are more likely to appear on short, “should-make” putts.

What is the best treatment for the golf yips?

The most effective treatment for the golf yips addresses nervous system regulation rather than technique. Approaches that reduce stress and muscle tension allow automatic movement to return, helping golfers putt naturally instead of consciously controlling the stroke.

How does EFT help golfers with the yips?

EFT helps golfers with the yips by calming the nervous system and reducing the stress response. This lowers anxiety, muscle tension, and overthinking, allowing golfers to access their natural, automatic putting stroke under pressure.

Does practising more help the yips?

Practising alone rarely fixes the yips. While golfers may putt well in practice, the yips usually appear under pressure. Without addressing the nervous system response to stress, the same symptoms tend to return during competition.