Welcome

Welcome to issue number 18 of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE, weekly publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing.

Time to explore the 10th of 14 mental styles that we definitely know affect golfing performance…there may be others. Remember, you'll show traits of multiple styles, but your primary style will emerge most prominently under stress.

In this issue:

• Yippy…Anxiety On Demand

• Wellness Tip – The Health Value of Good Relationsh …

• Mental Demons Q+A

• In Person Events - Book The 3 Minute Golfer

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Yippy…Anxiety On Demand

Picture this…you’re on the 18th green with a three-foot putt to clinch your best round of the year. The hole beckons like a wide-open gateway, your focus is as sharp as a hawk soaring above its prey, and your confidence surges until, you guessed it, your uninvited Yips arrive. Your hands feel like they’re gripping a live wire, your thoughts scatter like leaves on the wind, and that smooth, deliberate stroke you’ve practiced countless times on the practice green transforms into an unpredictable flick, as if your putter were suddenly controlled by someone pulling the strings on a mad marionette. Sound familiar?

Welcome to the world of someone with a touch of the Yippy mental style. Someone who might be cool as a cucumber from tee to green but flips into panic mode the moment the putter comes out. Most people have a little Yippy inside, just waiting for the right moment to appear. Many golfers experience a general level of nervousness throughout their round, but the anxiety the Yippy feels is a sneaky shape-shifter. It’s less about feeling on-edge all day and more about agonising in those specific, high-pressure moments…like when you’re over a very short putt. You might feel perfectly fine walking down the fairway but once you step onto the putting green, your brain starts scrambling.

Perfectionism Feeds the Yips

Are you a perfectionist? If so, you are more likely to suffer from the yips than those who care a little less.

A perfectionist often sets exceptionally high standards, both for themselves and others, striving to achieve goals that may border on the unattainable. Their meticulous attention to detail and relentless pursuit of flawlessness can be both their greatest strength and their biggest vulnerability. Their drive for perfection can leave them overly critical of themselves, with a tendency to magnify minor mistakes into monumental failures. 

Perfectionists frequently tie their self-worth to their achievements, creating immense pressure in high-stakes situations. This internalised need to avoid errors at all costs can fuel anxiety, making them prone to overthinking and self-doubt, particularly when faced with challenges that demand composure and adaptability.

Perfectionism can be fantastic for pushing yourself to excel, but it’s not so great when it causes you to freeze up over a simple putt. That voice in your head insists… “If I don’t sink this putt, my round, my confidence, and basically my entire future as a golfer are doomed!” 

When perfectionism is your co-pilot, every missed shot feels like an existential crisis. It triggers the fight-or-flight response and messes with your muscle control right when you need it most. According to sport psychologists, the yips come from a complex blend of anxiety, mental focus, fear of failure and muscle memory issues (Smith et al., 2015).

Pro Tips for Taming the Yips

Breathe…Sounds obvious, right? But anxiety can easily force you to unconsciously hold your breath. So, instead of letting your mind gallop off into the tension of “What if I miss?” territory, bring your focus back to your breathing, which will calm both your body and mind and help you zone in on the task at hand.

Replace the Inner Critic…If you’re prone to self-talk that says, “Don’t blow it, don’t blow it,” replace it with positive, process-focused cues like “Smooth stroke” or “Good tempo.” Move your inner dialogue from critic to coach.

Introduce Humour…Chatting and joking with your playing partners about your affliction will help you to relax. Humour has an extraordinary ability to diffuse tension. A simple laugh can recalibrate your mindset, enhance your composure and boost your resilience in challenging moments.

Process Not Outcome…Instead of obsessing over the result, narrow your attention to your grip, alignment, and rhythm. Visualise the ball rolling in a smooth path to the hole. When you do this consistently, you give your brain less time to freak out about potential disasters.

Practice Under Pressure…Give your body and mind a chance to get used to the tension. Create scenarios in practice where there’s something on the line. By training yourself to handle stress in practice, you build resilience and trust in your muscle memory.

Lift the Doom and Gloom…Being a Yippy isn’t a life sentence. You’re not doomed to forever tremble over two-footers if you begin to understand how your perfectionism and situational anxiety impacts you. By embracing failure and remembering when you line up for a short putt to think smooth, breathe, relax, and even crack a little smile.

See the References Here.