What are the “yips” in golf?

For many golfers, the toughest opponent isn’t the course, the weather, or the competition—it’s a sudden, invisible force within their own hands. A golfer standing for a short putt might feel a wrist twitch or freeze suddenly. That unpredictable moment is what is yips. It’s not a fluke, and it’s far more than nerves. It’s a personal struggle that can derail a round—or an entire career in worst-case scenarios.

Yips are a sudden, involuntary loss of fine motor control, and they generally attack a golfer’s short game — most often putting, but also chipping and pitching. The condition results in spasms, twitches, or jerky movements immediately before or during a stroke and can derail a player’s otherwise dependable technique.

What makes the yips so debilitating is their duality: They are thought to be caused by both performance anxiety and a neurological ailment called focal dystonia. The result? A simple stroke becomes an impossible task, with pressure amplifying the breakdown.

According to a Mayo Clinic study from 2004, between 33% and 48% of all serious golfers have encountered the yips. This neurological condition causes involuntary muscle contractions during specific, repetitive tasks. In golf, this translates into the hands or wrists twitching uncontrollably during the putting motion.

For some, it seeps in after missing one putt for a tie; for others, it arises after years of playing under the pressure of tournaments and expectations. The more they fear the yips, the more they grip. It’s not unheard of for elite players to change putting styles, change hands, or completely overhaul their pre-shot routine in quest of relief. And while anxiety is a big part, just the nature of the condition makes it that much worse.

What renders the yips particularly cruel is their silence — no injury, no visible wound — just a breakdown of trust between mind and body. For decades, the condition was seen as taboo in locker rooms, seldom discussed, and often misunderstood.

Golfers who have suffered from the yips

The yips have haunted some of the greatest names in golf history—proof that no amount of talent, experience, or titles grants immunity. Bernhard Langer, a two-time Masters champion, began battling the condition at just 18. At his lowest, he admitted to four-putting from three feet and even striking the ball twice in a single stroke.

“Those were extremely difficult times,” he said as reported by Bunkered.

Only a complete overhaul of his putting style and equipment saved his career. Langer’s reinvention with a broom-handled putter set a representation, but he isn’t alone. Ernie Els’ seven-putt meltdown on the opening hole of the 2016 Masters left the golf world stunned—and him nearly speechless.

"I couldn’t get the putter back. I’ve made thousands of 3-footers, and I just stood there, and I couldn’t take it back. What do you do? I don’t know. Maybe a brain transplant,” Els was quoted as saying on the incident by Bunkered.

Meanwhile, Sam Snead—tied with Tiger Woods for the most PGA Tour wins—once said of the affliction,

“You get to the point where your mind can’t figure out how hard to hit the ball,” he told Golf Digest

Medical experts advise golfers not to take too much performance anxiety, to deal with the yips in the most efficient way during the most high-octane moments on the course.