MONDAY, April 28, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- If you're a golfer with the "yips," you might want to link up with this new Mayo Clinic study.
It found more than half of all golfers who get these involuntary tremors and jerks in their hands during short shots report symptoms that strongly suggest the problem has a physical, rather than psychological, origin.
The "yips" can add almost five strokes to a golfer's score over the course of 18 holes, according to previous research.
For many years, this was regarded as something that was all in the golfer's head, a purely psychological problem. But this new Mayo study indicates there may be a physical component to the "yips."
In this study, 72 highly experienced golfers were asked to describe their experience of the "yips."
While 55 percent of them described their symptoms in physical terms (for example, involuntary jerking of the hands during putting), 22 percent described psychological symptoms, such as nervousness or a tight feeling in the body before and during a putt.
The findings appear in a recent issue of Sports Medicine.
The Mayo researchers plan to continue this research by holding a putting tournament this spring with 16 "yippers." The researchers will measure the golfers' confidence, heart rate, grip force, stress hormones and then view videotapes of each putt.
By analyzing these areas, the researchers hope to get a better understanding of the problem and whether the "yips" can be controlled using medications.
More information
Here's some advice on golf conditioning and preparation.
