The Yips Are Not a Technique Problem.
They Are a Mental Game Problem. And We Can Help.
40+ years helping golfers win the mental game, worldwide via Zoom
The yips are the most frustrating experience for athletes, you can stroke the ball perfectly in practice, but the moment pressure builds, your hands involuntarily twitch, jerk, or freeze. Work one-on-one with Peaksports certified mental performance coaches via Zoom from anywhere. We’ve helped PGA Tour players overcome the yips for 40+ years.
What Are the Putting Yips, and What Causes Them?
The putting yips are involuntary muscle movements, jerks, twitches, or freezing, that occur during the putting stroke, almost always in competitive or pressure situations. Despite what many golfers believe, research and decades of practical coaching experience consistently show that the yips are primarily a psychological and neurological problem, not a technique problem. The yips are caused by a failure of automaticity under pressure: when a golfer becomes overly conscious of the stroke, the brain’s motor control system breaks down.
At Peak Performance Sports, Dr. Patrick Cohn, who has coached PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players to overcome the yips, uses a proven mental performance coaching system to help golfers reclaim their putting and eliminate the yips for good.
Trusted by PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour & amateur golfers since 1991 · Worldwide via Zoom
Call us today: 407-909-1700
Do These Putting Yips Symptoms Sound Familiar?
You don’t have to be a Tour professional to have the yips. They affect golfers at every level. Do any of these match your experience?
→ “My hands involuntarily jerk or twitch during the stroke, I can’t control it.”
→ “I can putt perfectly on the practice green but freeze over the ball on the course.”
→ “The closer the putt, the worse it gets, short putts are terrifying.”
→ “I’ve changed grip, stance, putter, and technique, nothing has fixed it.”
→ “The yips are making me consider giving up golf altogether.”
How do you know if you have the golf yips?
Not every golfer will experience the putting yips during a career. Mayo Clinic researchers found that more than one-third of all serious golfers have had the yips at one time.
Long-time golfers, who have played for 30 years or more are more likely to get the golf yips. That’s a pretty big number, but at least half of all golfers never experience the yips in their career.
And you don’t want to assume you have the yips after having a poor putting round. Most young golfers do not get the yips because they are fearless and putt with a child-like mindset.
What might the yips feel like if you have them? Many golfers describe that they make a stabbing or flinching motion at impact. I call this a “hit impulse.” Other golfers use terms to describe the yips, such as twitching, jerking, or flinching with their stroke or arms mostly near the impact zone when the club gets close to the ball.
How do you know if you have the baseball yips?
If you lose control of your throwing or pitching accuracy in games, but throw on target in practice, most likely you have the yips. Or if you tighten up and over control your throwing action in games, but get worse results than throwing BP or catching BP, then you may well have the throwing yips.
Often with the throwing yips in baseball, players worry too much about what others might think about their game. This can lead to fear of embarrassment or fear of getting benched.
Another sign is when you can only use one of three or four pitches in a game situation–the same pitches you can throw effortless in practice every day.
And if you are a catcher, you might struggle to get the ball back to the mound after every pitch or you can’t make an accurate throw to second or first base.
How do you know if you have the tennis yips?
The yips in tennis can affect any stroke, but it’s more common with the tennis serve. If you pause in the middle of your serve and can’t finish the stroke, you may well have the yips with your serve.
Also, at impact you feel yourself tighten up or jerk your racquet head hit a serve you normally don’t hit in practice, then you might have the yips.
Real Results from Golfers Who Overcame the Yips
Yips Coaching Success Stories
“I Felt I Was Throwing Completely Free”
“Today was a really good day. I felt I was throwing completely free, had maybe one or two tense throws and after coach told me it looked very good.”*
~Chris Fetters
“Your Response To The Throwing Problem Covers Many Situations In Life”
“Your response to the throwing problem in front of the coach covers so many situations in life…that is the beauty of playing sports…the life learning experiences. Keep up the good work…you are the best coach.”*
~Bill Brennan
“The Yips Program Has Helped a Lot”
“I write you because it’s been 6 months since I started the program Breaking the Yips Cycle. Before that I was putting with a long putt and due to the ban on anchoring I switched to a short putt and started your program. The yips program has helped me a lot. I have been able to focus on what matters instead of thinking about the outcome or fearing a yippy stroke.”*
~Ricardo Abogabir C.
“I’m So Glad I Found You”
“I’ve had the yips for 30 years. With the anchor ban, I thought I needed to quit golf. It was frustrating hearing golf experts and commentators state that no amateur was going to quit golf because of the anchoring ban. Obviously, these experts don’t know anything about the yips. I’m so glad I found you. Your drills really helped. It might sound silly, but the biggest thing that helped me is knowing that the yips is mental. It might sound crazy, for someone to have the yips for 30 years, and not know it’s mental. I also believe I know my reason for having the yips, and I see how my insecurities in every day life contributed to the yips. Thank you for your help.”*
~Kevin Stankewicz
“Awesome Tips and They Worked Great”
“Yes! Awesome tips and they worked great. I was having a tough time mentally with putts inside of 4 feet for self imposed fear of missing them. After doing all of your drills I found myself just looking at the hole on the shorts putts similar to a free throw. Seems to be working. Thank you so much!”*
~Shawn Barr
“I Owe You Big Time”
“Yes Patrick, I’m a five handicap and also mentally handicapped by the yips. What worked for me was the aim, set and go drill. You don’t have time to think about yipping. I played today and not one yip. I owe you big time. Thanks again.”*
~Mike Helms
“I Feel Like I’m Stealing From You”
“Patrick–something seems really weird here. You are giving out so much good material to help with the yips, and I feel like I am stealing from you! I really like your style! You don’t see that very often–ever as a mater of fact! You are an amazing guy!”*
~O’Jay Omlid
“What a Great Feeling or Freedom”
“I went on to the putting green right after receiving your mail. What a great feeling of freedom. No tense at all, smiling and more consistent than ever before. I have a very low handicap and of course I have great rounds during the years, but you have taken me to a new level by curing the yips. I have just read your report again, and now I get the point in your comparing with throwing darts. I am very grateful – if you visit Denmark I will invite you out for dinner.”*
~Søren MeinertsenYips Tips & Coaching Success Stories
“I Felt I Was Throwing Completely Free”
“Today was a really good day. I felt I was throwing completely free, had maybe one or two tense throws and after coach told me it looked very good.”*
~Chris Fetters
“Your Response To The Throwing Problem Covers Many Situations In Life”
“Your response to the throwing problem in front of the coach covers so many situations in life…that is the beauty of playing sports…the life learning experiences. Keep up the good work…you are the best coach.”*
~Bill Brennan
“I Owe You Big Time”
“Yes Patrick, I’m a five handicap and also mentally handicapped by the yips. What worked for me was the aim, set and go drill. You don’t have time to think about yipping. I played today and not one yip. I owe you big time. Thanks again.”*
~Mike Helms
“I Feel Like I’m Stealing From You”
“Patrick–something seems really weird here. You are giving out so much good material to help with the yips, and I feel like I am stealing from you! I really like your style! You don’t see that very often–ever as a mater of fact! You are an amazing guy!”*
~O’Jay Omlid
Ready to Find Out About Yips Coaching?
Schedule a free introductory Zoom session with a mental coach or get more details about our coaching:
Available worldwide · No travel required · No commitment · Zoom · FaceTime · Phone
Yips Breaking the Yips Cycle
How Our Yips Coaching Works
Step 1: Diagnose the Yips
We use the Golf Mental Aptitude Assessment (GMAP) and a detailed intake process to diagnose the root causes of your putting yips, whether they stem from overthinking, fear of judgment, perfectionism, performance anxiety, or a combination of factors. No two cases are identical.
Step 2: Rebuild Trust and Automaticity
Learn strategies for restoring automatic stroke execution, including pre-putt routines that shift focus away from mechanics, techniques for quieting the conscious mind over the ball, and proven methods for reducing the anxiety response that triggers the yip reflex.
Step 3: Progressive Practice Protocols
Use the Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 and Anti-Yips Putting Drills, specific practice progressions designed to rebuild confidence from close range outward, restoring positive experience and automatic stroke movement.
Step 4: On-Course Application
Apply your customized pre-putt routine, focus strategy, and acceptance mindset directly to practice rounds, then competitive rounds, with a specific escalation protocol for building confidence under pressure progressively.
What You Get with Putting Yips Coaching
- A clear diagnosis of the specific psychological cause of your yips, not guesswork
- A pre-putt routine that redirects focus away from mechanics and into trust
- Proven anti-yips putting drills that progressively rebuild automatic stroke execution
- Acceptance strategies for putts that don’t go in, without the shame spiral
- Short-putt confidence rebuilt from the ground up with a structured progression
Every program includes: the GMAP assessment, a custom Mental Game Plan, weekly Zoom coaching sessions, unlimited email correspondence, the Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 workbook, and the Free Anti-Yips Putting Drills. Call us at 407-909-1700 with your questions.
Who Is Dr. Patrick Cohn?
Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D. is the world’s leading expert on the golf yips and the founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Sports Psychology from the University of Virginia under Dr. Bob Rotella, the sports psychologist who first identified the yips as a psychological phenomenon, and his Master’s degree from California State University, Fullerton under Dr. Ken Ravizza. Over 40 years he has coached PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and Champions Tour players to overcome the putting yips. He is the creator of the Free Anti-Yips Putting Drills, the Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0, and the Mental Game Coaching Professional (MGCP) Certification.
Work with a Certified Mental Performance Coach via Zoom
Peaksports Mental Performance Coaches
Peak Performance Sports is home to a team of certified mental performance coaches personally trained by Dr. Patrick Cohn — an expert in mental performance coaching with over 35 years of experience working with athletes and performers at every level.
Every mental coach on our team earns certification through Dr. Cohn’s rigorous Mental Game Coaching Professional (MGCP) program, mastering the same proven mental skills framework he has refined across three decades of elite coaching. You’re not working with generalists — you’re working with specialists who have been vetted, trained, and certified by one of the most recognized names in sports psychology.
Learn more about Peak Performance Sports’ certified mental performance coaches.
FAQ About the Putting Yips
What causes the putting yips?
The putting yips are caused by a breakdown in the automatic motor program that controls the putting stroke. When a golfer becomes overly conscious of stroke mechanics, typically due to performance anxiety, fear of judgment, perfectionism, or accumulated negative experience on the greens, the brain shifts from automatic to controlled execution, which disrupts the smooth, unconscious movement the stroke requires. This is a psychological and neurological issue, not a technique problem. Changing putters, grips, or techniques may provide temporary relief but does not address the root cause.
Can the putting yips be cured?
Yes, the vast majority of golfers who work with us on the yips see significant improvement and many eliminate them entirely. The key is addressing the actual cause: the psychological over-control and anxiety response that triggers the yip reflex. With the right mental coaching approach, pre-putt routine, and progressive practice protocol, most golfers see meaningful improvement within 4 to 8 weeks of coaching.
How is yips coaching different from regular golf mental coaching?
Yips coaching is more targeted and specialized than general golf mental coaching. It involves a specific diagnostic process to identify the precise triggers, a structured protocol for rebuilding automatic stroke execution, anti-yips practice drills, and a careful on-course application progression. Dr. Cohn studied under Dr. Bob Rotella at the University of Virginia, the first sports psychologist to formally identify and treat the yips, and has 40+ years of specialized experience with this specific problem.
How much does putting yips coaching cost?
Self-guided resources including the Free Anti-Yips Putting Drills and the Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 are available from $299. Virtual coaching programs are $600-700 per month and include weekly one-on-one sessions, the GMAP assessment, a custom mental game plan, unlimited email support, and all yips-specific resources. Contact us for full coaching pricing.
Ready to Putt Freely Again?
Schedule a free introductory Zoom session with a mental coach or get more details about our coaching:
Available worldwide · No travel required · No commitment · Zoom · FaceTime · Phone
Or Call us today: 407-909-1700
What the Research Shows About the Yips
The yips are a well-documented psychological and neurological phenomenon: Research published in BMC Psychology confirms that performance-impairing anxiety and over-conscious movement control, the mechanisms underlying the yips, respond meaningfully to psychological skills interventions. A 2024 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine (Röthlin et al.) found psychological skills training produced a significant effect on athletic performance (effect size of 0.83) across 111 studies.
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Disclaimer
*Testimonials found on this site are examples of what we have done for other clients, and what some of our clients have said about us. However, we cannot guarantee the results in any case. Your results may vary and every situation is different. No compensation was provided for these testimonials.
Last Updated on May 31, 2026