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The chipping yips, or the anxiety that sets in when faced with a chip shot or short putt, can be incredibly frustrating, debilitating and put extreme pressure on the rest of your game. This was certainly the case for 4-handicap index golfer Ben Tadman, who came to see adidas brand ambassador and short game expert Dan Grieve for a lesson at Woburn Golf Club.
WATCH: Dan Grieve gives a lesson addressing the chipping yips
“Around the greens has always been the worst part of my game,” Ben explains. “I’d say throughout the time I’ve had the yips or feel like I’ve had the yips, particularly in competition play, I get very frozen over the ball and can hit everything from a duff to a knife straight over the green. I had to pick up in a medal recently because it had gotten that bad.”
Dan is a coach that has seen it all and understands how and why the chipping yips can creep into someone’s game as well as how it isn’t limited to a certain ability of player – it can affect high handicappers, tour players and everyone in between.
(Image credit: Howard Boylan)
“Ben’s a good player, he’s got good hands but they’re having to work very hard for him,” Dan explains having watched Ben hit some basic chip shots from the side of the green, which included a chunked chip that travelled no more than a couple of feet. “This topic of the yips, the anxiety side of things, it’s an issue for a lot of golfers. Ben’s got a bit of a fear of the ground and when you have a fear of the ground, that manifests as you’re coming down into the ball, the anxiety kicks in and there’s often an involuntary movement.”
“So with Ben I wanted to try and make things a little bit friendlier because that’s what it’s all about. Can we get his club working friendlier through the turf so he can start to trust the ground, and then there’s a rewiring process that will go on, and he’ll start to then get a lot more comfortable and relaxed over the ball because he’ll know he doesn’t need to be perfect. Some of the best players in the world when they chip hit the ground 3 inches behind the ball, I’ve demonstrated it in my videos. I can do it because I’ve got my angle of attack nice and shallow and I’ve got the loft and bounce on the club.”
Some other things that Dan implemented in Ben’s…
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