Opinion & Analysis
Hank Haney believes Jordan Spieth has the yips, but this is why he’s entirely wrong
Speaking to ESPN.com, Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney pulled no punches while discussing his reasons behind Jordan Spieth’s lack of form, blaming his current state on a case of the “yips.” Talking to the broadcaster, Haney stated that
“When I watch him putt, he visibly has the yips. You watch his hands on short putts and there is a tremor in there. I don’t care if the putt goes in or doesn’t. He was center cut on his first putt at the Ryder Cup. But his hands were shaking. He had to miss more short putts than anybody on Tour.”
Although Haney’s take will go unnoticed by many, who have had the prevailing opinion that Spieth’s issues are all green-related drilled into their heads, the view is in fact at best uninformed and at worst lazy. The Texan’s putting has not been the issue since the first part of 2018, yet the belief in the golfing world that Spieth now has the yips has grown legs like a fine Bordeaux.
The reality is that over his previous 32 rounds, or last eight events on the PGA Tour if you like, where strokes gained statistics are recorded, Spieth has gained strokes over the field with the flat-stick in seven of them.
An even closer study, concerning form within the ‘yip range’, i.e. inside five feet, shows that in the same period Spieth is currently one of the best. Entering this week’s Sony Open, the 25-year-old sits eight in the 144 man field for strokes gained putting inside five feet. Not too shabby for someone with the yips, right?
Extending that view, in his last nine events, Spieth stands 26th in this week’s field in strokes gained putting from 5-10 feet, and an impressive sixth from the 10-15 feet range. While in the overall picture, the three-time major champ sits 18th in this week’s field for strokes gained putting over the same period.
The view that Spieth has acquired and currently has the putting yips is an uninformed take that is surprising to hear from such a successful swing coach as Hank Haney.
Instead, Spieth’s current issues look to revolve around his long game, having lost strokes to the field in six out of his last eight events off the tee. A problem which Spieth acknowledged as much this Wednesday while preparing for the Sony Open.
“Last year I was really off with the putting the first half of the year; that started to get better and then the swing got off.”
Another reason for his winless streak looks to be from his long-distance putting. In 2015, when Spieth dominated, his putting from 15-25 feet was off the charts. The Texan made an inordinate amount of putts from distance in that period, while in his last 50 rounds, Spieth sits a lowly 133rd in this week’s field for strokes gained putting from 15-20 feet and 113th from 20-25 feet. To say his form on the greens from those ranges has been off in recent times would be fair, while to say that Spieth has the putting yips would be obtusely inaccurate.
Spieth’s putting has not been an issue since May, and the American has already acknowledged that his stroke was off for the opening months of 2018. Yet the false narrative that he can no longer putt that is still banded around by so many talking heads in the world of golf today is both baffling and insulting.
To these people, including Haney, let me refer to what the man himself had to say while he was responding to questions this week over the current state of his game.
“I know what’s wrong with Jordan Spieth, and I know what’s right with Jordan Spieth.”
The constant and lazy criticism of Spieth’s putting, since he isn’t holing everything he looks at currently, appears to have killed any of the joy that the 25-year-old once portrayed while competing at the grandest stages. Golf’s freewheeling golden boy from 2015 now looks closer to resembling Atlas from ancient Greece than ever before; the Titan forced to hold the entire world on his shoulders for eternity.
Though we may not be in ancient Greece now, Spieth is a Titan in the world of golf, with more wins on the PGA Tour than any other player in the last 30 years before the age of 26 besides Woods, and is too talented and intelligent not to discover how to throw off the shackles of whatever is ailing him on the course.
Spieth’s task, however, would be much easier to achieve if those with the platform stopped wrongly persecuting the three-time major champion for his performance on the greens.
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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Charles Panco
Jan 15, 2019 at 7:41 am
The “journalist” is completely wrong. Stats are entirely different from the yips. Perhaps the “journalist” should leave his desk and Google in order to discover facts on his own before writing such articles.
jim
Jan 12, 2019 at 8:06 pm
When Jordan was winning regularly,he would pick his club,line up his shot and hit it.Now it takes him forever to hit his shot.I really think he’s thinking too much.
Patricknorm
Jan 12, 2019 at 3:15 pm
Hank Haney is correct because; Hank did have the yips; with his driver. I knew Lance Armstrong was dirty I too took EPO. So those of you giving Haney such negativity, he knows from where he comes. In fact the same could said for Rory Mcilroy who used to make everything but know struggles on the greens.
My take is that things came so easily for Spieth and McIlroy that now that they have grown into their bodies , there are adjustments and these young guys are trying to figure it out.
frank cichon
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:08 am
I have been saying for the last 18 months that Rory has the yips. I am not sure that Rory made everything he looked at when he was winning. As for Jordan he had 2-2 1/2 years of making just about everything he looked at. No one can sustain that for any length of time. I think that Rory had success because his game what GOOD…DISTANCE and great iron play and the putting
was (as the saying) goes just par for the course. If Rory wants to win all the majors he MUST putt better (his wedge play is fair to good at best. Rory MUST get a world class caddy that can control the 6 inches between the ears and one that CAN read greens, because IMO Rory is poor at reading greens.
Scheiss
Jan 12, 2019 at 2:13 pm
He’s laying pipe now that he’s got a woman and every guy goes thru that slump due to lack of energy from too much humping. That’s all it is
Ernie Happala
Jan 12, 2019 at 12:54 pm
You leave out the one stat that blows up your article, under 5 feet in 2018, way to make the numbers match your opinion. I am not a fan of Haney, have personally argued with him at a PGA Summit, but to completely ignore that stat is a slap to the face of a lot of passionate and intelligent members of GOLFWRX. Maybe it’s your opinion that is incorrect, present your argument with ALL the statistics and let the reader decide, leave the slanted journalism to CNN and Fox…
James Glenn
Jan 12, 2019 at 3:40 am
Having the yips, and missing putts — as Haney implied clearly — are not mutually inclusive. No-one can miss the hole from two feet on tour greens without something happening. Speith stopped holing an ungodly percentage of putts from 15-25 feet and thuan he became a mortal once more. He’s a hell of a player, but something is indeed going on inside of 5 feet there.
I’m a PhD in Sport Marketing and an amateur golfer that plays off of +4 — I think I’m just as qualified to weigh in as someone with a bachelors in Sports Journalism.
Brad
Jan 12, 2019 at 2:30 am
pretty ignorant to think this writer thinks he knows more than hank. people don’t like it when people speak the truth and hank does just that. he has done endless studies on the yips. the yips is seen as the word you don’t say in golf, no tv commentator will ever say it. its not a death sentence like many people think, it can be over came and jordan looking at the hole is already one unconventional way of doing it. hank is a huge jordan spieth fan and people don’t like to hear the truth like it is.
Scratchscorer
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:22 pm
Hank Haney is wrong. Jordan is struggling with the long game and putting better than 3/4 of the best players in the world. Only someone desperate for attention would claim he has the yips. His ‘hot take’ should be ignored entirely.
AggOwl
Jan 11, 2019 at 4:28 pm
Evidently the author doesn’t understand Haney’s point. “You watch his hands… there is a tremor… I don’t care if the putt goes in …. his hands were shaking”.
Haney as one of the most successful and respected teachers, ever, is giving an opinion of the mechanics he sees in the stroke. The author uses data and statistics to dispute Haney’s opinion of the mechanics and has totally missed the point.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 6:33 pm
Exactly. Read one of my responses below. I literally cannot hit a put with ONLY my right hand without my right hand spasming out of control as I approach impact. With NOTHING on the line, on a practice putting green.
If I turn my hand into the “claw” grip with that hand, VOILA, tremor gone.
There’s something strange going on, and science is only beginning to understand it.
Mike C
Jan 11, 2019 at 6:44 pm
Do you see a tremor? I think Haney is the only person who can see his hands shaking.
Brad
Jan 12, 2019 at 2:33 am
would he not be one of the most qualified to do so ?
Bra
Jan 13, 2019 at 7:28 pm
I believe a doctor would be the most qualified to diagnose a tremor.
Haney is getting older and likely can’t see as well as he used to. To my much younger eyes, I can’t see a “tremor” or shaking when Speith is putting, and I’ve checked out several recent videos of his putting. In fact, his hands look steady eddie.
ButchT
Jan 11, 2019 at 4:24 pm
Thanks, Gianni. It is good to see thought provoking articles – whether I personally agree with them or not. If you did not have a degree in sports journalism, some here would be criticizing you for that! Disagreeing with someone in a civil manner is pretty much a thing of the past.
Roy
Jan 11, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Poorly written – with the exception of distance putting there is no pre/post comparison. Current performance alone offers no proof as to whether he does or does not have the yips. Its like saying “I cant be an alcoholic, I work 40 hours a week” . If I used to work 60 hours a week, maybe Im drinking in the free 20 hours a week now???
Jerry
Jan 11, 2019 at 3:38 pm
Spieth has been yipping his driver under pressure. When he won at Hartford he pulled his drive dead left on both 17 and 18 barely stopping before the water (I believe he even tried using a 3 wood.) He then pulled his drive dead left again on 18 in the playoff and luckily hit a tree and stopped him from going in the water. He was fortunate that he then hit his second shot into the bunker and holed out from the bunker. It sure looks like he yipped his tee shots.
Prut
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:26 pm
3-foot putts have always been Spieth’s nemesis. Even when he was making everything outside 10 feet he was missing short ones.
Ernie Els
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:09 pm
It’s hard to putt when you have snakes in your head”
Haney and the golf ‘shrinks’ won’t help.
Should spend as much time with fellow Texan Ben Crenshaw as he cab
PGA Pro & Board Certified MSc Therapist
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:05 pm
Haney ain’t never been right. Screwed more players up than he ever fixed & should have been DISBARRED & SUED for malpractice for what he did to Woods – instead of teaching him a couple of obviously needed changes to stop tearing up his body halfway through his career (He actually knows nothing about functional human anatomy – especially AFTER INJURIES HAVE OCCURRED) but instead tried to make visible changes to say “look, I fixed TW” NO little tweaks on grip & takeaway that ruled the planet for 10 yrs – stuff he hadn’t thought of since he was 5 – were what that man needed.
Haney is a made up guru of caca but a great marketer
Jeff
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:02 pm
Don’t bring fine Bordeaux into your garbage article. It deserves better than that.
Dlamb
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:00 pm
Haney trying to remain relevant in a world that has forgotten him!
Jerry G
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:56 pm
If you did not know, Hank has the yips, especially an unusual case of driver yips, so anyone whose short game or putting goes south has the yips in Hank’s view. First, it was Tiger, now it’s Jordan. I wonder what Jordan said about Hank at a cocktail party that got back to Hank.
You know what happens? Tiger or Jordan change a technique, gain more confidence, etc. IOW, they overcome and the so-called yips OR the lack of confidence misdiagnosed as yips, goes away.
Hank must have felt lignored for a while, and needed to see his name in the limelight again.
A. Commoner
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:26 pm
Shabby journalism. Grade of D minus on this essay.
Rob
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:14 pm
I think he’s lost confidence, some of which dates back to Birkdale when he took way too long on the 4th RD 13th and probably took an improper drop. He was given leeway by the official because of who he is. I think he knows that and it’s bothering him. BUT his real prob is his awful grip on full shots, you can’t make putts if you are too far from the hole !!!
Stephe Pearcy
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:14 pm
I believe it is not putting that’s Spieth’s issue unless you believe that unreal putting performance from long range was going to be the strength of his game. Physics pretty much dictates that no one is going to be able to consistently sink long range putts so, if he was counting on that, he’s in trouble. But I don’t believe he is and, since the statistics say his putting is not the problem, I believe Spieth knows exactly where it is – the long game. And, he’ll get it back, though dominating now, with the many, many superior players coming into the game, with be very, very difficult.
Dave
Jan 11, 2019 at 8:18 pm
+1. It will be hard, but he can scrape it as well as anyone. Unlikely to putt like 2015, but grinds in majors pretty damn well for someone so young.
Mrs Haney
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:03 pm
Hank is right…..again.
Funkaholic
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:35 pm
Haney is an idiot.
golf golf golf
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:58 pm
Truth
Dave r
Jan 11, 2019 at 12:52 pm
Most people making comments on here never had the yips I’ve had the yips lasted for 2years and I could not even pull the putter back to start a stroke ,they are not fun . Short putts are the hardest putts to make because you should make them never had a problem with long putts. This young man will figure it out he is probably the best long and lag putter out there . Mr Haney has his points and should just leave it at that no need to say anything about the problems unless he is asked by Jorden. Mr Haney is a good teacher and should stick to teaching not reporting.
Tom
Jan 11, 2019 at 12:47 pm
Haney is a wacko….nuff said!
Vance
Jan 11, 2019 at 12:41 pm
Only Jordon can say if it’s the yips or not. What are the yips? Fear of failure. Some observations, Jordon was maybe the best putter ever from 25-foot range, it was not going to be possible for him to continue that stellar putting forever. Jordon said that he could tell when another player was struggling with his putting as they followed the ball rather than keeping their head still. Jordon is following the ball. I do believe if he is going to win any more majors, he better start knocking those wedges stiff, the 25 foot putt days are over.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 5:07 pm
The yips are “fear of failure.” Thanks, Doctor.
Have you ever had them?
Here’s how wrong you are: I’ve had the yips for 20 years. I had no idea how to cure them all that time. I would listen to people like you who minimized them and I would carry on. But I always had them, even when I was playing my best.
Then one day I read an article about how putting with the claw can completely remove them for some people and I tried it. INSTANT CURE.
I cannot putt a ball with my bottom (right) hand only without my hand spasming so bad that it’s visible to the naked eye. I realized this one day when trying to putt with only one hand (a drill that some instructors recommend). It was hilarious. I literally could not hit a single put, regardless of length, without my hand spasming prior to impact.
A year later, after adopting the claw, I thought I’d try it again with just one hand. Maybe my brain had been re-wired. Tried it with my hand in a “normal” position and it was like I got electrocuted, spasm city. Grabbed the club with my right hand in the “paint brush” position (the “claw grip that I use”) and VOILA. I can putt one-handed with no yipping.
There is something very, very real happening there that has NOTHING to do with fear.
Wes
Jan 11, 2019 at 6:58 pm
AGREE!! This is dead on accurate!
24Linc
Jan 12, 2019 at 9:58 pm
Totally agree. There are “yips” and there are yips. If you have the real yips you can’t putt, chip or full swing without spasming sometimes even when you are not under pressure. Yes pressure makes it worse but doesn’t not cause it. It’s a miscommunication from the brain. You can retrain it but takes a lot of effort or you can use a different grip, motion etc to trick your brain.
dixiedoc
Jan 11, 2019 at 12:26 pm
Yips or no yips he just looks twitchy all the time. Never settled or confident. He didn’t use exhibit those qualities
MR Common Sense
Jan 11, 2019 at 12:22 pm
JS does not have the yips. Spank haney is an idiot in this regard. Although I respect him and what he’s done, he’s wrong here. When Jordan starts looking at the hole again, he’ll make EVERYTHING, just wait.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 6:31 pm
Anybody who putts cross-handed and THEN resorts to putting while looking at the hole has had the yips. JS has had, and will continue to struggle with the yips until he does something to overcome his current bout, he will continue to suffer.
If he starts looking at the hole again — if he starts making everything again — it will be because looking at the hole calms his yips.
Most of you people who don’t have, or never have had, the yips just do not get it.
Watch Mackey Sasser, Steve Sax. Rick Ankiel, Chuck Knoblauch, Markelle Fultz — all from other sports.
The yips are a thing. They happen. Nobody wants them, they come unbidden. They are not caused by “poor mechanics” or “caring too much.” Find a few friends who have suffered. Talk to them. Learn a bit.
Jose Pinatas
Jan 11, 2019 at 12:02 pm
Yippie dudda, yippie yie eh……. Speith can’t make a putt from 3 to 5 feet,,,Hey..
TheCityGame
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:39 am
You are cherry picking statistics. 5-10 feet? 10-15 feet? The yips affect people on short putts and last year Spieth was 128th on putts inside of 5 feet.
2019, it’s still too early to tell. We’re still at a stage where the top guys are at 100%.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 5:11 pm
Hey, bud, they also affect people on long putts and uphill putts sometimes. I’ve had both kinds over the years. More so the longer ones than the short, actually.
Jolonda
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:35 am
The last paragraph states that Spieth’s task to play better will be much easier if his performance on the greens will stop be criticized. That is false. Spieth playing better has nothing to do with what Haney or anyone else says. That is simply up to him to fix whatever ails him and perform better. That being said, I do agree that Jordan’s real issue is that he hits a lot of offline and strange shots for someone of his caliber—it is his ball striking from distance that lets him down.
GMatt
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:29 am
I think I’d trust the opinion of an experienced golf instructor over the opinion of a hack sports reporter (with a bachelors degree in sports journalism yet) who probably doesn’t even play. Hank may be a Douche Bag at times but I’d say he probably forgot more about the golf swing than Gianni has ever learned…..
John
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:49 am
I agree. As someone who battled the yips for the best part of 30 years, I recognise the affliction in others. Spieth himself might not want to admit it but his putting stroke today isn’t anywhere near as assured as it was a few years ago. As the old saying goes: ‘There are lies, damn lies and statistics’ and, no matter what the stats say, Spieth is no longer winning because he isn’t holing out as well when it matters. Gianni is obviously a Spieth fanboy and, like all fanboys, refuses to acknowledge what is glaringly obvious to others.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 6:35 pm
Amen, brother. Same here.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:20 am
Yes, he has the yips.
It is baffling to me that so many people (the overwhelming percentage of them who have NEVER had them) are so unwilling to even consider that a tour pro might have them. He exhibits literally everything I would associate with the yips last year.
But the most telling thing: The hands trembling, as Haney mentioned. He’s not my favorite guy to listen to either, but he’s 100% right.
Can Spieth get over them? Absolutely, but he’s going to have to make a change, and a pretty big one. If this continues, look for him to go to the claw.
Nick
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:13 am
he dropped from 39th to 123rd in strokes gained: putting in 2018.
Prime21
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:55 am
Hank is just moving on to the next “victim” so he can stay relevant. Didn’t Hank say Tiger had the chipping yips and that he’d never recover from them & once you have them they never go away? How’d that theory hold up? Just teach Hank, it’s what you’re good at, leave the commentary stuff alone.
Funkaholic
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:38 pm
The Hank Haney project says otherwise, this fraud rode Tiger’s coattails to fame and has never proven he was capable of teaching anyone.
d lamb
Jan 11, 2019 at 2:03 pm
exactly!!
Brian McGranahan
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:41 am
The simple fact that his yips are visible and he missed more short putts than any player on tour last year means more than bs stats. You can still make a putt with a yip, Its going to get worse if he doesn’t do something.
HLC
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:31 am
Hi Hank!
Brian
Jan 11, 2019 at 4:27 pm
LOL.
Obee
Jan 11, 2019 at 7:13 pm
Yep.
Wyatt
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:37 am
Yips are about what your hands do when the adrenaline is pumping, like on the back nine on Sunday, not what you do the other 63 holes of the tournament. That said, if you want to look at stats, it seems pretty clear that 1) Spieth has never been particularly exceptional inside of 5 feet and 2) last year was a low point for him. Putting Inside of 5′ and Three Putt Avoidance are pretty easy to check. I believe that Haney actually could help Spieth become a great short putter, and I think we all know that nerves do not age like a “fine Bordeaux.”
The flaw in the article is trying to use such a small statistical sample size to discredit Haney. If we want to use the author’s logic, Jason Day is now a terrible putter because he’s currently 224th in Putting Inside of 5′.
Obee
Jan 12, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Yips have VERY little to do with adrenaline.
John
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:14 am
Hank Haney is an insufferable idiot when it comes to golf commentating. He needs to stick to instruction, coaching, and teaching. All he ever does is bash Tiger because he got dumped all those years ago. He drones on an on during his painful Sirius XM show about the yips this and the yips that. I change the channel whenever he comes on now. He also turned into a snake oil salesman, pushing his “voodoo” pain cream. Looks like the end of Hank.
dat
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:56 am
Agree. He is hard to listen to on that program and doesn’t do himself any favors. It is all post-Tiger hate which is fairly old at this point.
Vas
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:47 am
Hank sold his soul to cash out on Tiger Woods, and now years later, he seems to be regretting that decision. Oh well. That said, if you watch Spieth closely, it’s pretty clear he gets flinchy at times. I’m not going to say he has the yips yet, but he’s certainly on that road unless he fixes something. The dude made a lifetime’s worth of chips and putts in like 5 years… that cannot possibly continue going forward. Also, he hits more foul balls than any other elite professional I can think of. I’ll always be a fan of his because he’s a great dude, but I’m not betting on him this year.
maxi kerr
Jul 18, 2022 at 7:02 am
I always have an e/w bet on his matches since 2020, and I’m so frustrated at his collapsing from good positions at the end of the 72 holes. Again at St Andrews 2022, he missed what should be easy little putts and scuppered my dosh.He is definitely going through some sort of crisis in his game and I’m sure it would be pointless for us to try and solve his problem. Saying that he seems an ok lad who like the rest of them has made staggering amounts of money for playing a game that most people have to pay for.
Jerrry G
Jan 11, 2019 at 1:50 pm
Correct – HH is unsufferable.
Paul
Jan 11, 2019 at 10:08 am
Haney worked with Mark O’mera for years, who had the yips admittedly. I think he knows what the yips are and what they look like .
Brad
Jan 12, 2019 at 2:40 am
finally somebody who speaks the facts
Jerry G
Jan 13, 2019 at 1:16 pm
No, Haney admitted he has the yips and has written articles on dealing with it.
Travis
Jan 11, 2019 at 9:51 am
He missed an incredibly amount of 2-3 footers last year where the ball didn’t even touch the hole. In these strokes there was a noticeable flinch of the hands. You hold a BA in Journalism when Hank Haney has coached the greatest players of all time, including Tiger Woods. I’m not defending Haney as the greatest teacher ever or anything like that, but ti call his criticism “lazy” is just plain ignorant and disrespectful. Spieth had a horrendous year last year on the greens and he very well could have a serious problem with his nerves, confidence, and physical putting stroke.
Wes
Jan 11, 2019 at 9:51 am
I’ve seen Jordan twitch on putts. Look at the 16th hole from Pebble in the final round in 2017. He yips it, but it goes in. This article is so lazy and uninformed. You can have the yips and still be making putts, at least for a short period.
carl
Jan 11, 2019 at 9:20 am
He got married, and there are lots of examples of getting married ruins your game. Bye bye Jordan
d
Jan 11, 2019 at 11:26 am
Yeah….Jack Nicklaus certainly suffered, dumb comment.