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The Yips - Shanks, Slices and Out of Bounds

Yips ruining your game? It's time to stop and bring down your score. No more shanks, slices or out of bounds. Stop the jitters and putt solid. Learn to play golf the way it's meant to be played - full of fun, enjoyment and free of the yips!

Golf is such a great game, so simple yet so difficult to master. Within 18 holes you can go from being a world-beater to hacker and back again. The emotions are pulled one way and then another. Great long game but come to putting and the yips take over and your card is ruined. Think of the yips and you think of Bernhard Langer and that missed putt in the Ryder Cup. Perhaps you have the short game of Seve Ballesteros but can't hit a straight drive to save your life. Bang, off goes a shank. Boff, there goes a slice. Doh, another out of bounds and a lost ball!

So what do you do to rid yourself of the yips, shank, slice and out of bounds shot? What do you do when you start to shake, tremble and go all jittery? There are many books and videos to help. There are the expert tips of David Leadbetter and Harvey Penick, and of course the local club Pro. Then make sure you have the right and best equipment.

The best thing is to practice like Nick Faldo and keep on until the yips and jitters are a thing of the past. No-one wants the yips but if you get them you need to find a way of getting rid of them. Learn to control the shakes and stop trembling at the thought of another two footer. Study the golf drills, read and watch David Leadbetter and Harvey Penick and get the right equipment.

Above all, with practice and the right equipment you can banish the yips and say goodbye to shanks, slices and out of bounds shots. No more trembling or shaking or jitters just a good stance and a straight and solid putt.

It's time to get that score down, to beat your mate and the boss and to be happy and confident in your game. If golf is just a 'Good Walk Spoiled' then you've missed the point and are not having fun. This is the effect the yips can have. Look at the Pro's and see how unhappy they are when they can't buy a putt. Remember Bernhard Langer's agony etched on his face as that putt slipped by the hole. See all the changes he made before finally beating the yips. Now he is happy again, now he is putting, winning and smiling. All because he beat the yips.

You too can lose the shanks and slices and beat the yips.