Pitching Yips...HELP...can't take it anymore!!

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Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
you most likely are very underplane on pitch shots and this will lead to inconsistent contact in both fats/thins depending on where you put the ball and will also lead to flippy contact when you do hit it.

i would also guess that you are under the sweetspot a lot in the backswing.
 
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flyers66

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Jim Kobylinski said:
you most likely are very underplane on pitch shots and this will lead to inconsistent contact in both fats/thins depending on where you put the ball and will also lead to flippy contact when you do hit it.

i would also guess that you are under the sweetspot a lot in the backswing.
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Jim,
Any suggestion on ways to work on this...would one recommend a "Never slice again" left wrist hinge approach to start with(keeping the sweetspot looking at the plane)? Or some sort of shaft drill? Do I even want the club face to roll open to the plane line?...I think I might do both-which is swing too much inside and fan open...How do I know what is on plane in a short shot...
Thnks Flyers66
 
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211pro

New
Flyers...my 2cents...

I have had chip-yips for 2 years, until this August. They are gone, completely. What I have done hopefully will work for you, but I am not sure because the root problem may be different. Anyway, here is what I have done...
I no longer address the ball with the face square...I have my hands forward and allow the face to 'open up' so that the clubshaft, left arm and clubface are all in one line. So, at address, it looks to me as if my chip will go out to the right, but it doesn't, because of my very small pivot motion. At separation, the clubface is square. It was with this discovery, completely by accident, BTW, that I realized the root of my problem was that I was afraid I would not get the ball in the air from a standard address position, ergo, I needed to help it, causing me to over accel. and flip. Seeing an open clubface, I no longer had that concern, and immediately began hitting wonderful chips and pitches. The fear of missing greens is gone. I can chip or pitch with the best of them, again! Hope this helps...-Dave
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
flyers66 said:
Jim,
Any suggestion on ways to work on this...would one recommend a "Never slice again" left wrist hinge approach to start with(keeping the sweetspot looking at the plane)? Or some sort of shaft drill? Do I even want the club face to roll open to the plane line?...I think I might do both-which is swing too much inside and fan open...How do I know what is on plane in a short shot...
Thnks Flyers66
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Try hitting some pitches with your right thumb off the club, this will help force you to not fan it open so much. The clubface will open some but not much and it won't really be noticeable.

Also try to do some purposeful "digging." Really beat down on it until contact gets better. Then move back to something more normal.
 
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holeout

New
Chris Sturgess said:
Are you insane? The subject is that he hits it well in practice and not on the course. That is exactly what the other thread was about.

When people never disagree with a particular 'crowd' and are really offended if anyone else does, that is blind following like the kool aid drinking cult. It has nothing to do with narcissism or not recognizing abilities.

I'm sure you're really super at golf tough guy. But anyone who says that I haven't said anything that is accurate or of value I guarantee is worse than a scratch player.
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I've agreed with you on some things before, Chris. But in this instance, all you did was reference (again) something Tom said in a thread that has been dead for a month. And it had very very little to do with the issue at hand.

All you are doing is making sure everyone knows that you still disagree with what Tom and most of the Manzella Academy has to say, and that you are very proud of your differing opinion.

The thing you have trouble wrapping your head around is that most of us could not care less who provides helpful information, whether it be you or Brian or Tom or any other forum member. We disagree with you not because we just like Brian so much (seeing how only a few of us have actually met the guy), but because he helps us, and his stuff works.
 
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Kevin Shields

Super Moderator
Jim Kobylinski said:
you most likely are very underplane on pitch shots and this will lead to inconsistent contact in both fats/thins depending on where you put the ball and will also lead to flippy contact when you do hit it.

i would also guess that you are under the sweetspot a lot in the backswing.
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You bastard!! :D I just read this thread and I was going to say the same thing but you beat me to it. I've always struggled with piching a bit. Can do it like anything in practice but and under/open face pitching method will lead to flips on the course
 
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welshdentist

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cmartingolf said:
Good stuff here. A lot of folks (damn good players too) don't even realize how under plane they can get on tiny shots. They get too into the target line and that illusion gets them way to inside out with a low point behind the ball. Instead of "ball/ground" they get "ground/ball" and have to flinch so they don't chili dip it....
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Man is that right on the money, towel plane board and plenty of time helped me a lot with the short ones. Boy is it easy to get under plane and swing too far left.
 
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welshdentist

New
Sorry Jim,

In my head I meant you couldn't swing either underplane or cheat and just swing steep across the towel plane board? Out to In?

Does that make sense?
 
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flyers66

New
Every one who responded-Thnks for the suggestions. Played tday and did much better on the pitch/chips...Had success with the idea of putting the club and left arm all in plane with the open face and adding a little of the suggestion of the feet very close together(knees touching) and swinging with the body. I do believe I am/was coming very inside to out...Flubbed one, felt like I came really over the top with the right shoulder and just buried the club in the ground...I am curious "Welshdendist" what the towel/plane board is?
thnks again
Flyers66
 
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Chap10

New
I've had that wedge yip problem for years. I think I have it under control but I will admit it comes back and bites me occasionally. One thing I did not see mentioned that should be tried is -- hitting wedge shots with your eyes closed. This works very well and is much easier than you think. You will not yip a shot with your eyes closed (also works for putting yips). I've even played in a minor club tournament doing this. You may not hit it close but you will get it on the green. Eyes closed help you relax and then, hopefully, you can build on that. Anything that helps you relax is what you're looking for -- it can be a much longer swing (most pros argue against that), a very wristy swing (pros don't like that either), or something else. Just thinking R-E-L-A-X is not a bad place to start.
 
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G.O.L.F.

New
In my personal experience, the only thing that got rid of the yips was the 'sense memory' that came from a ton of practice with a slow, deliberate, precise/repeatable stroke.

For me, the stroke involved proper ball position, impact position setup, and chip and pitch motions using right forearm tracing and an on plane right shoulder in the downstroke.

It gave me the option to swing slowly, methodically, precisely - able to feel the weight of the clubhead throughout the backswing and transition during practice.

All of this in an effort to keep my mind and body engaged throughout the stroke to form a solid 'sense memory', instead of 'just swinging'. I try to think 'artist with his brush' or 'musician using his instrument' - things like 'paint the stroke', anything to NOT check out mentally.

Sorry if this sounds more like philosophy than golf, lol, but I'm relating my personal experiences, and what worked for me.

I love hitting those shots on the golf course now.
 
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Billy McKinney

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A short list from this GSEM(r):
*Try cross-handed (works for Chris Couch)
*Breathe out throughout the entire motion (useful for all shots!)
*Close your eyes from transition to finish
*Try interlocking grip OR strong right, weak left (Olazabal tip)
*Practice under pressure..gamble a little with a friend.
All the previous suggestions are awesome too. It turns out there's one type of brain that gets this curse..usually very bright and quick-thinking people. Be proud that you are bright enough to get this problem. You can re-route it though, as mentioned. Breathe, Grasshopper, breathe. That one's huge.
 
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Kevin Shields

Super Moderator
The three biggest chipping/pitching yip mechanical flaws IMO are these. 1. Too low, too wide backswing 2. Trying to hit down too much or hold the left wrist flat 3. An "above sweetspot plane" backswing

All 3 result in a spasm toward the ball in many people, yet ironically better players can use a form of all of them
 
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niblick1

New
Brian Manzella said:
It is ALWAYS mechanics.

Really.

I am working on a new video on the subject of pitching/chipping yips.
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And it was exactly my mechanics on these shots that were killing me.

After having lessons with Brian a couple times in the last three years, my full swing had gotten good, but my pitching and chipping remained very poor and "yippy" -- despite Brian trying to beat a couple concepts into me (metaphorically speaking) in a couple lessons. It got so bad this spring off tight, wet lies I decided I was not going to hit another ball on the range or play another round until I figured it out.

So I went and watched a D1 golf team practice these shots a couple time on the range.

I kept practicing and couldn't get it. After several weeks I finally got it. Just as Brian had said it was my "twistaway," shot path, and then shoving my club path through at impact. I was also too wide, low, and underplane on the backswing. Now I feel like I supply all my power from my pivot/shoulder turn. I can actually swing smoothly and slowly. I can actually hit a tiny half or quarter wedge. 95% of the fear is now gone.

It wasn't that I was unreasonably afraid before. I knew my action was bad, which made my action even worse. I was realistic about my chances of thinning or chili-dipping a half-wedge. That yippy fear goes away after you get a better shot action, not vice-versa. Or at least that's my experience.
 
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welshdentist

New
Brian Manzella said:
It is ALWAYS mechanics.

Really.

I am working on a new video on the subject of pitching/chipping yips.
Click to expand...

I agree 1000% about the cause, but then the brain/conscious mind/ego fears the result.

Having been deep down the poor chipping/pitching route I can say with experience you have to work on both.

It ends up chicken and egg but poor technique leads to fear, fear leads to worsened technique.
 
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