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Yips (plural noun)
Nervousness
Nervousness that impairs the performance of a sportsman or sportswoman, especially a golfer
The gap between wanting to do well and your ability to do well is too far apart. One of these has to change. (Dry humor)
I feel your pain and have shared it too at one time or another. When I was much younger, I was so afraid of chipping that I improved my game from 150 yards in just to avoid it, and every time I hit a green I felt more relief than happiness. After a couple of years, this got pretty old. So, I set upon fixing it. Not having a clue about basic motion, acquired motion, right forearm participation, start-up swivel, ball placement (big one), what powers the stroke (accumulators), on-plane shaft, flat left wrist, plane line tracing, pressure points, etc. I started hitting 200 chips per practice day.
I was at the short game area at a local course and I saw this High school aged girl hitting chips to three different hole locations on one green. I arrived a little late because there were already about 20 balls in tight little circles around each of the holes. I was impressed but at the same time confounded. As I watched her chip I noticed a few things. First, that her motion was s-m-o-o-t-h, effortless and almost motionless. Second, she had the same speed for every chip and to hit it a little farther, she made a longer stroke. The last thing I noticed is that no matter how short her stoke was, she somehow accelerated through the ball without jerking or wobbling. I couldn’t tell how she was applying force. It looked so easy. So I went to the other green which also had three flags. After five minutes I looked to assess my progress and wow, I was amazed, I was so bad that I couldn’t tell which of the balls was supposed to be closer to which of the holes. It looked as though someone just carelessly threw a bunch of balls onto the green.
That was a long time ago in a galaxy far away. Even after reading, studying and applying the three imperatives, it still is a lot of work. Yesterday after sixty chips, I looked up to assess my progress and I saw three flags with 20 balls in a tight circle around each of them.
Hitting is easier.
The other day, I saw this young kid on the putting green…But I’m not going to get into that. I’m going to meet VJ in a couple of days at the Old Waverly Clinic. I’m not going this one alone. Life’s too short.
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