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Putting With Eyes Closed

I have had the putting yips for quite some time. I tried every grip you can think of but there was always some last second twitch whether in the right hand, forearm, etc. Very frustrating, and to the point that I didn't even want to putt.

So I was out playing with a couple of good golfers (+2 / 0) and after a few holes of literally missing two footers with a jerky putting stroke, one guy said "have you tried putting with your eyes closed?". My response was something like "what???". So while they were putting out I picked a spot on the green about 10 feet away, closed my eyes and hit the putt. The ball landed exactly on the small brown spot. I was like "this makes no sense". So I tried about a 5 foot putt to another small brown spot. The ball was 3 inches away from that spot. Then I tried about a 30 footer to an old cup circle and the ball came to within 4 or so feet of the old hole. I'm thinking "why is this working?". As the round progressed I closed my eyes on all short putts and made 10/11 (2 - 3 footers). On longer putts I kept my eyes open because I didn't trust not seeing the longer distance. However, on the back nine I decided to close my eyes on longer putts and in fact, all putts. Every putt was far better and tension free. Literally a night and day difference.

The guys who played with me said my putting stroke was completely different in terms of smoothness, length of backswing (not too long), and they said I looked completely relaxed. Did I make a bunch of 20 footers? No. Were those putts online and going at the hole? Yes, about every putt. Prior, my putts would be far offline, or be way short, or blasted past the hole. Plus, and most interesting, I was hitting the center of the putter, not the toe as a normally did.

I'm not the only one to do this as Sergio and many other pro's have putted with their eyes closed. The reason I think it works is because some folks have eyes that want to follow the ball (over-active eyes). They watch the club go back and forth which can create last second adjustments just before the ball (adjustment = yips). Plus, the more I think about it, what am I really looking at anyway? I know where the ball is, I know where the hole is, and much of putting is based on feel, so really nothing good can come from millisecond by millisecond hyper-analysis during a short putting stroke. It's almost like my creative side was finally "allowed to play" and my "drill sergeant" side was put on mute.

Anyway, if you have the yips or get jittery on shorter putts, try it. It will feel weird at first but I think you might be surprised.

9 comments

9 Comments

Steven

Apr 12, 2023

Wow! This is news to me. My biggest thing after line established and setup, I look right at the little space between ball & putter and concentrate on takeaway and follow through making sure not to take my eyes off that spot till balls is gone. Has made huge difference for me.

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 12, 2023

Replying to

@Steven I have tried focusing on spots before and after the ball, and that's VERY good for sure, but for me I think my eyes are over critical of my putting stroke in general, thus there is likely some subliminal reaction that doesn't occur with the eyes closed. To me, looking at the hole is a hybrid of "eyes closed" because both involve not looking at the ball at impact.

The yips also occur on chips with many folks because that's the nearest stroke to a putting stroke. The right hand flicks or twitches just before impact. I know some folks who chip with their eyes closed with good success, but that sounds too hard for me.

As for yesterday I putted decently well with eyes closed...all putts, even off the green from the fringe, some 60 or so footers. I tried to visualize rocking my shoulders back and forth which seemed to help because I was giving the "instructional side" of my brain "something to do" vs worrying about the putt.

Plus, if you ever putt a 3 foot putt with your eyes closed, and keep the eyes closed until you hear the ball fall in the hole, it sounds like it takes 10 seconds...Lol. The time the ball takes from impact to the hole looks much faster with the eyes open.

Steven

Apr 13, 2023

Replying to

I can't even handle looking at the hole! I've tried that before, one new trick this old dog can't learn. But that's okay, my putting serves me well.

rcissell56

Apr 11, 2023

There are times that instead of looking at the ball I look at a spot two or three inches beyond the ball and make sure my putter head passes over that. I have had some success with that method.

burkholder.ronald

Apr 11, 2023

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I’m gaming the PXG Hellcat which is a heavy putter. I can still yip it. Sadly…

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 12, 2023

Replying to

Maybe add 2 lbs of lead tape? 😀

Tom Saguto

Apr 11, 2023

@GolfLivesMatter & @burkholder.ronald - Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!

My dad has had success with the "Spieth Method" of looking at the hole on shorter "yippable" putts, but I don't think either of us have tried "lights out" putting aside from perhaps on the practice green.

burkholder.ronald

Apr 10, 2023

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I’ve been putting with my eyes closed for a number of years. I had the impact yips and absolutely missed 9/10 putts that were shorter than the length of my putter. I first started with those shirt putts and gradually moved to keeping thee eyes closed on longer putts up to the length that required my backswing to be longer than what I call my “core putt”, which is taking a backswing to just inside my trail foot. Depending on green speed and slope that could be anywhere from 5 feet to 25 feet or so. I determine the length of my core putt on the practice green by putting flat, downhill, and uphill putts.

For putts requiring a longer backswing I found I missed the sweet spot of the putter too often. I don’t really have a yip on the longer putts, so I don’t close my eyes.

Another option I have used with some success is to look at the hole on longer putts. This helps with distance control for me.

GolfLivesMatter

Apr 11, 2023

Replying to

@burkholder.ronald yes, "impact yips". It's the strangest thing. I get a right forearm flinch, or my lead elbow "kicks" forward and opens the club face. I think the condition is called Dystonia. It's not uncommon which is why so many folks move to the claw, gator, left hand low, etc, grips. There's something freaky that goes on in the mind a split second before impact. Part of the problem is I think I take the putter back too far and thus the time of travel to the ball allows for excess thought, or second-guessing. Plus, because it's the slowest stroke it actually can elicit excesssive tension.

If anyone has an alternate fix I'm all ears, but the eyes closed has largely been working far better. Sometimes I think pointing the elbows out on both sides (vs. more drop down) might delete my trail forearm flinch issues. I think the other, and possibly equally bad issue is my arms and hands tend to over-power the use of my shoulders when putting. The arms and hands seem overly active.

On a different note, I do have a very heavy SC putter which seems less impacted by flinches due to it's weight. My thought is if I used a sledgehammer to putt, once the head starts moving toward the ball, any flinch will not affect the path as the flinches wouldn't be enough to move the sledgehammer offline. I don't know, could be wrong but it seems plausible.