I recently had a student come to me with what he believed were the "chipping yips." After watching this student practice his chipping it became clear to me that there was a anxiety problem when he was about to hit chips. The first thing I noticed was that the majority of the student's focus was on the golf ball. Golf can be a complicated game because it involves 2 targets - the ball and the hole. I found that if this student made his practice swings with his eyes focused on the hole, it would ease the tension of the primary target - the ball. This technique worked for a few swings, but I noticed that the anxiety came right back. I remembered a lesson that I watched as a junior golfer where the teacher told the student to put his right index finger on the right side of the shaft. This technique gave the student something different to feel and think about. Although it was not a complete fix and he will need continued practice for improvement, his chipping improved dramatically.
2 thoughts on "chipping yips"
- Eyes on the hole during practice swings to gain better feel
- Put your right index finger on the side of the shaft
Very nicely done Spott. I look forward to many helpful tips that I can incorporate into my game. Way to take it above and beyond the expectations...looks great!!!-Brandon Eiff
ReplyDelete