You can roll a three-footer in on the practice green a hundred times in a row. Then there's a card in your pocket, a match on the line, or a group watching, and something in your hands or wrists jumps right as the putter starts back. Golfers call it the yips, and if you've had it, you know it feels like your stroke belongs to somebody else.
This post explains how Jay Shaw, a certified hypnotherapist (CHt) at Identity 2.0 Hypnotherapy in Dallas, approaches the yips with golfers, what hypnosis can and can't do, and why the first step may be a doctor's visit rather than a session. For the broader picture across sports, see The Yips, Explained.
What the Yips Actually Are
Mayo Clinic describes the yips as sudden, uncontrolled movements of the wrist or hand that most often happen when golfers are putting, though they can affect other sports too. Symptoms can include a sudden muscle jerk, shaking, twitching, spasms or a brief freeze in the movement. (Mayo Clinic, "Yips: Symptoms and causes")
The important part is the cause. According to Mayo Clinic, researchers once thought the yips came from performance anxiety. They now know that for some people the yips come from focal dystonia, a nervous-system condition that makes muscles contract without control during one specific activity. For other people, the yips are related to performance anxiety: getting overly anxious or focusing too much on the movement, which interferes with the skill. Anxiety can make either kind worse. (Mayo Clinic, "Yips: Symptoms and causes")
Mayo Clinic also notes the yips are more common in golfers who are older, have played for many years, or play in tournaments. (Mayo Clinic, "Yips: Symptoms and causes")
Why the Cause Matters Before Anything Else
If your yips are driven by a movement condition, hypnosis isn't the right first step, and Jay will tell you that. Signs worth raising with a doctor include the twitch showing up even when nothing is at stake, showing up in other fine-motor tasks, or getting steadily worse regardless of pressure. A doctor or neurologist can help sort out what's going on. Mayo Clinic notes that changing how you perform the movement, such as a different grip or putter, may help reduce symptoms. (Mayo Clinic, "Yips: Symptoms and causes")
If the stroke is fine on the practice green and falls apart when it counts, the pressure side is much more likely to be in play. That's where hypnotherapy and performance coaching fit. Many golfers have some of both, which is why Jay doesn't treat this as either-or.
How Hypnosis Approaches a Freezing Putting Stroke
Identity 2.0 doesn't try to "fix" the stroke. Your swing coach owns the mechanics. The work is on what happens between deciding to putt and the putter moving.
1. Map the moment
Jay starts by getting very specific. Which putts? What length? Tournament rounds only, or casual rounds with certain people? What goes through your head over the ball? What do you feel in your body right before the jump? Golfers often find the pattern is narrower than they thought, like left-to-right four-footers on the back nine.
2. Look at what the yips mean to you
For a lot of driven golfers, a missed short putt isn't just a stroke. It's a verdict on whether they belong in the field. When a putt carries that much weight, the body reacts like it's under threat. Identity work looks at that meaning, because a putt that's only a putt is a lot easier to hit.
3. Rehearse in hypnosis
In a focused, relaxed state, you rehearse the full routine from reading the line to watching the ball drop, with the pressure dialed up step by step. You stay aware the whole time. The goal is for your body to experience the pressure situation and the smooth stroke together, many times, before you're back on the course.
4. Build a pre-putt cue
Jay helps you build a short cue you can use over the ball: a breath, a word or a physical anchor that brings back the feel of the rehearsed stroke. It goes into your existing routine rather than adding another thing to think about. If you want a version you can practice anywhere, see the 10-minute self-hypnosis routine.
5. Test it where it counts
Between sessions, you take the work to the course, starting with low-stakes rounds and building up. What happens there shapes the next session.
Not Sure Which Kind of Yips You Have?
On a free 30-minute strategy call on Zoom, Jay will ask about your pattern and tell you honestly whether hypnotherapy fits, or whether you should see a doctor first.
Book a Free Strategy Call →What Hypnosis Can't Promise
Be wary of anyone who promises to make the yips go away for good. Nobody can honestly guarantee that, and if focal dystonia is part of the picture, hypnosis isn't a treatment for it. What 1:1 work can do is help with the pressure and attention side: how you respond over the ball when the stakes go up. That's often the part golfers have tried least, because it's the part that's hardest to practice on your own.
Working With Jay From Anywhere in DFW
Sessions happen on Zoom or at the Oak Lawn office in Dallas, which has free retail parking on the surface level and an elevator to the 10th floor. Golfers from around North Texas, including Frisco, Prosper and Celina, often start on Zoom. More on athlete work is on the sports hypnosis page. For golfers who want something measurable to practice between sessions, Jay also offers Identity Under Pressure, an optional add-on.
- Free strategy call: $0
- 30 minutes on Zoom. Talk through the pattern and get an honest read on fit. Book it here.
- Identity Diagnostic: $99, credited toward the program
- Optional. Structured assessments plus a written report and a Zoom review with Jay. See the diagnostic.
- The 8-week program
- The full program is a premium, 8-week commitment. We'll walk through options on your free strategy call. Payment plans are available. Sessions are in person at 3838 Oak Lawn Ave, Suite 1000, Dallas, TX 75219, or on Zoom.
Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical or mental-health care. If you're under a doctor's or therapist's care, keep them in the loop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can hypnosis help with the golf yips?
It can help with the pressure and attention side of the yips: how you react over the ball when the stakes go up. It isn't a treatment for focal dystonia, the movement condition behind some cases, so if you suspect that, see a doctor first.
How do I know if my yips are anxiety or focal dystonia?
Only a medical professional can tell you for sure. A rough clue: if the twitch shows up even when nothing is at stake, or in other fine-motor tasks, raise it with a doctor. If your stroke is fine on the practice green and breaks down under pressure, the pressure side is more likely involved.
Do I still need my swing coach?
Yes. Your coach owns the mechanics, including any grip or putter changes. Hypnotherapy works on your reactions under pressure and fits alongside coaching.
Can I do sessions on Zoom?
Yes. Zoom sessions follow the same structure as in-person sessions at the Oak Lawn office in Dallas, and the 8-week program is the same either way.
How much does it cost?
The 30-minute strategy call on Zoom is free. The optional Identity Diagnostic is $99 and is credited toward the program. The full program is a premium, 8-week commitment. We'll walk through options on your free strategy call. Payment plans are available.