Why is Tiger's Short Game so Bad? Does he Have the Yips?

[Tical1969]

TW has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, strangely, even if he has nothing to prove anymore (Each 5 years of his career would make any other golfer a dream life :o), some of you may be have noticed that he is swinging is in full "hurt" (like a 110%), he does not play flawless, from tee to green, all the shots were mostly as if he wanted to run after something.

If he his chasing himself at his best... which would be impossible, because he is different in many ways from 5 years ago, he could get in big trouble, because no teacher, no coach could help, and even if he looks "kool" on interview, he does not seem to play for the joy of the game,and without pressure.

Many times, (he rarely did it before) he was watching at the ball before he even strikes it, usually i could remember him with confidence driving, putting or chipping without almost watching the ball, he knew where it was landing...

I do not know about yips, but a few totally "relax" rounds could cure it all may be, he possibly needs to play for FUN, and who could blame him for this...

[natureboy]

  Rick Martin said:

Who says TW doesn't realize that he has the yips - what does Harmon want TW to do, go on Golf Channel to talk about it? It's pretty embarassing - and not a cure by "announcing it" as Harmon says......did Snead ever get over his putting yips? He talked about it all the time.

Like any part of the game, just needs to find a cure for his technique - there are bandaids for bad short games - first of which is improve your GIR.

It doesn't have to be embarrassing. The related science on it (focal dystonia) seems to imply that it affects those with lots of experience with a repetitive task.

[chipandcharge]

  natureboy said:

It doesn't have to be embarrassing. The related science on it (focal dystonia) seems to imply that it affects those with lots of experience with a repetitive task.

This kind of yips described by the above post and an earlier one on focal dystonia has been reported on in a book that discusses fMRI research written by Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee, "The Body Has a Mind of Its Own."  They write about a particular form of yips that are experienced by experts, such as golfers, violinists, and pianists, where patterns have to be repeated with repeated precision.  They write that an expert develops what they call "memory maps" that direct the firing of the muscles in a particular order.  An expert has a collection of very similar memory maps that all essentially accomplish the motion to within an acceptable variation.  The problem occurs when a person's brain simultaneously activates a collection of similar memory maps, and the person doesn't know which one to use to trigger the swing or stroke.  It is an equivalent of a stutterer who hears his/her voice echoing on the first syllable and doesn't know when to say the next syllable or word.

I know golfers whose yips look like the putter is trying to move in jerky fits and starts, which would be an example of the brain unloading multiple memory maps what confuse the person.

The researchers write that people overcome the yips by changing how they putt, developing a new memory map.  They say, however, that as soon as he/she becomes highly skilled with his/her new putting style through the development of many similar memory maps, then he/she has the possibility that the old problem of the mind releasing a whole set of memory maps might re-appear.  This doesn't explain any yips that might be caused by lack of confidence, fright, or other psychological problems.  Unless Tiger describes what's going on in his mind, we can't say which of the several psychological causes might be responsible.

[mvmac]

[natureboy]

  mvmac said:

Clearly different technique. Are they similar length shots?

When you do chips with a lot of shaft lean isn't the correct approach to be hitting a bit from the inside - as Kuchar said 'hitting little draws'? Is that a 'chicken wing' with the left arm in the pitch on the right?

What would you advise him?

[mvmac]

  natureboy said:

Clearly different technique. Are they similar length shots?

When you do chips with a lot of shaft lean isn't the correct approach to be hitting a bit from the inside - as Kuchar said 'hitting little draws'? Is that a 'chicken wing' with the left arm in the pitch on the right?

What would you advise him?

Yeah they were similar length.

  natureboy said:

When you do chips with a lot of shaft lean isn't the correct approach to be hitting a bit from the inside - as Kuchar said 'hitting little draws'? Is that a 'chicken wing' with the left arm in the pitch on the right?

Yep, chicken wing on the right, trying to "save it" at the last minute as the pivot stalls.

  natureboy said:

What would you advise him?

Make sure the balls isn't back in the stance, maybe weaken the grip, less shaft lean at address, allow the toe to rotate on the backswing so he can "load" the shaft and "throw" the club head on the downswing. Basically allow the club head to swing and just pivot back and through it. Just brush the grass and let the ball get in the way.

Would also have him do a lot of right arm only pitches and watch some old footage of him hitting great short shots.

[colin007]

When did this happen??? It's like it happened overnight....Like last year the chipping was fine, and then he shows up to his Hero tourney and all of a sudden it's gone? How does that happen??

[mvmac]

  colin007 said:

When did this happen??? It's like it happened overnight....Like last year the chipping was fine, and then he shows up to his Hero tourney and all of a sudden it's gone? How does that happen??

The technique changes started under Foley when they changed Tiger's takeaway/backswing. His pitching takeaway looks a lot like his full swing takeaway, which is not something you typically want.

[natureboy]

  mvmac said:

The technique changes started under Foley when they changed Tiger's takeaway/backswing. His pitching takeaway looks a lot like his full swing takeaway, which is not something you typically want.

I've heard that 'short game swing should match the full swing' before. Where did that come from? Is it just an old saw / received wisdom that he's bought into.

Is there any potential value to it in having similar / familiar motions as a way to keep things simple? Not really expecting so as many short game specialists had pitch swings that didn't necessarily mirror their full shots.

[colin007]

  natureboy said:

I've heard that 'short game swing should match the full swing' before. Where did that come from? Is it just an old saw / received wisdom that he's bought into. Is there any potential value to it in having similar / familiar motions as a way to keep things simple? Not really expecting so as many short game specialists had pitch swings that didn't necessarily mirror their full shots.

I don't think Tiger really believes it. It's just a bullshit line that he's giving the media because he figures nobody will call him on it. He's so guarded that he won't let anything that personal out.

[phan52]

Upon hearing Tiger Wood's explanation for his problems being related to divergent "release patterns", Johnny Miller and David Duval weighed in on an NBC conference call . . .

"I think it's crazy. You know, when you pitch, all you do is just take it back and brush the grass. . . . It doesn't take a genius to just make a little arc and brush the grass and put it up there near the hole. He must have some demons in his head. It's like somebody short-circuited his hand-eye coordination. . . . I don't know what's going on. I really don't. Only Tiger probably could tell you, and he won't tell you how it can get that bad when you're skulling it across the greens and chili-dipping about every other one." - Johnny Miller

"I think that's a false statement (Tiger's explanation). I don't agree with that at all. I mean, chipping is chipping. To hit a solid contact on a 30-yard pitch, everybody does it the same way. That's just how you get the ball up; keep it low, get it running, whatever. Having known him a long, long time, it's hard to say, hard to watch. I had to live through a lot of it on my own, as well. I think that injuries have really broken him down, his physicality, and I think through that, mentally. And once you get scarred mentally, it's a hard thing to come back with. It's a funny thing how memory works -- I'm not a psychiatrist, they could explain it better. But replacing short-term memories is a very difficult, trying process, and that's what you have to do at this point, and it takes a long, long time. " - David Duval

[beachbreak]

Chipping and pitching as Tiger did in front of the thousands and many more on TV has got to leave mental scar tissue.

He will have to be mentally tough to supress it in the big moments at the majors.

When similar shots with consequence are presented, it will be "testing" to say the least.

I wonder if he wants it that bad anymore, the battle within himself.

If so, I wish him the best.

[DaBush87]

Tiger has to get back into the athlete mind state of feeling and reacting. No matter who you are, over analyzing your swing is recipe for disaster and loss of feel and skill. Whether Tiger can get back to circa 1999 mind state, who knows?

[mvmac]

  DaBush87 said:

Tiger has to get back into the athlete mind state of feeling and reacting. No matter who you are, over analyzing your swing is recipe for disaster and loss of feel and skill. Whether Tiger can get back to circa 1999 mind state, who knows?

Tiger made big changes to his swing with Butch starting in '99. Not saying that part of the issue isn't mental but he's always been a technique focused kind of player. That's been the pattern with each swing coach.

[mvmac]

Johnny Miller and David Duval's reaction to Tiger saying a change in his full swing has resulted in a different "release pattern" on his chips.

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/02/johnny-miller-david-duval-tiger-woods-chipping.html

Quote:

"I think it's crazy," Johnny Miller said in a conference call ahead of NBC's coverage of next week's Honda Classic, which Woods is skipping for the first time in four years. "You know, when you pitch, all you do is just take it back and brush the grass. . . . It doesn't take a genius to just make a little arc and brush the grass and put it up there near the hole."

David Duval had a similar reaction.

"I think that's a false statement. I don't agree with that at all," he said. "I mean, chipping is chipping. To hit a solid contact on a 30-yard pitch, everybody does it the same way. That's just how you get the ball up; keep it low, get it running, whatever."

[natureboy]

  mvmac said:

Tiger made big changes to his swing with Butch starting in '99. Not saying that part of the issue isn't mental but he's always been a technique focused kind of player. That's been the pattern with each swing coach.

I think I heard Butch Harmon say in relation to Tiger or other tinkerers that some players like to have / need to have 'a project'.

[Oilsearcher]

Definitely Saw Tim Clark....he has not played since the Sony and I thought that he could not play with the chipping yips.....now his announcement that he will not play in masters....is he really injured?  Will Tiger "tweak his back" this week and not be able to play?

I have them, can chip beautifully in practice, but trying to play in club champs and match play can be really tough.

[natureboy]

Link below was interesting news and I guess prompted Tiger's trip to Augusta. Sure it's a practice round and his home course, but a score like that seems to put him back to a solid 6-7 handicap so around par at the Masters should at least be a reasonable expectation.

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/04/apparently-tiger-woods-recentl.html