Lucas Glover, the celebrated six-time champion of the PGA Tour, recently bared his soul about his battle with golf’s most feared opponent – the infamous ‘yips’. This mysterious condition, which is as old as the sport itself, has been known to abruptly halt the performance of even the most skilled golfers, making routine putts and chips an insurmountable challenge.
Glover, now free from the shackles of the yips and enjoying a resurgence in his career with two victories as recent as 2023, narrated his harrowing yet inspiring journey during a candid interview with the Stepping Into the Fire YouTube Channel.
His haunting tryst with the dreaded yips began around 12 years ago on the fifth hole at Colonial Country Club. “I four-putted and all of a sudden, it just happened,” Glover revealed, recalling the incident with alarming clarity.
The seasoned golfer, who was going through a significant phase in his personal life, including getting married and preparing to become a father, found himself plagued by uncertainty and fear. He was constantly haunted by questions of recurrence, leading to a full-blown case of the yips.
One of the most vivid memories of Glover’s struggle was a conversation with his wife post that fateful round at the Colonial. “I told her, ‘I don’t know. It was the first time in my career on the golf course that I could say I don’t know’,” he shared. Glover likened his experience to a panic attack, where he lost control of his motor skills and even his sense of touch, critical for any golfer.
But the putting yips are not exclusive to Glover. Some of the biggest names in golf, such as Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, David Duval, Kevin Na, and even the legendary Ben Hogan, have had their own battles with this psychological menace.
Garcia, for instance, had a well-documented mental struggle with his game, transforming from a smooth operator to the master of the waggle in the 2000s. Langer, a multiple major winner, has also suffered from the yips. Hogan’s bout with the yips was so severe that he chose to step away from the game completely.
Glover’s story serves as a stark reminder of the mental challenges that even the most successful golfers face. It underscores the fact that the elusive game of golf is not just a test of physical skill, but also a battle of mental fortitude, resilience, and adaptability.
