He had them – and his theory bucks conventional wisdom.
Fifty years ago, Johnny Miller won the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, which was the host site again this year. It was his second and last major win, and soon after, it became apparent that his time as golf’s No.1 was coming to an end – and the putting yips played a big role.
Miller went three-plus seasons after Birkdale before he won again, though he did regain some form in 1981, winning twice and finishing runner-up at the Masters. During the latter part of his career, Miller tried all sorts of things to overcome the tremors in his hand that would manifest as he attempted to strike a putt. He changed grips, postures and even resorted to long putters – one of which helped him win the 1987 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Miller was a long-time contributor to Golf Digest and addressed the topic of the yips in the December 2001 issue. Here’s what he said: “You’ve no doubt heard of the ‘yips’, the uncontrollable spasm that causes the putter to all but jump out of your hands, sending even short putts careening far past the hole. The cause of the yips has been attributed to a loss of control of the right hand. That’s why so many players switched to the extra-long putter or have opted to putt cross-handed – they take the right hand out of the stroke.
“As one who has battled the yips for years, I have a different opinion. The source of the yips is the left hand. On the forward stroke, when your nerves go haywire, your left hand stops moving forward just before the putterhead contacts the ball. When that happens, the only way the putterhead can contact the ball is for you to buckle the left wrist. Meanwhile, the right hand – the innocent party – is suddenly forced to apply extra speed because the left hand wasn’t doing its job.
“The key, then, is to stop the left wrist from breaking down. This is easier said than done, but just thinking about it will help. Maintain the same left-wrist angle from start to finish, and keep the left hand moving through impact. Your short putting will improve immediately.”
Photograph by getty images/Augusta national
