Hands and Hips: The Simple Cure for Chipping Yips

By Peter Croker

Few problems in golf are more frustrating than the chipping yips. One moment you are standing over a simple shot with confidence; the next, your hands become anxious, the clubhead snatches at the ball, and a straightforward chip turns into a thin, fat, or bladed disaster.

The good news is that the yips are often not a mental problem at all. They are usually a movement problem. When the hands work correctly and engage the body in the proper sequence, the motion becomes smooth, connected, and reliable.

The secret is simple: chipping is a hands-and-hips game.

Build a Sound Structure

Good movement starts with good setup.

Begin with your left arm comfortably straight and your right arm softly bent. The handle should point approximately toward your belt buckle. Bend from your hip sockets so your arms can hang naturally without feeling crowded.

Position the ball slightly forward of centre and a little toward the toe of the club. Allow your weight and shaft lean to favour the lead side. This creates the conditions for a slight descending strike, allowing the club’s loft to do the work rather than forcing the ball into the air.

Many golfers attempt to help the ball up. Great chippers allow the club to brush the turf and let the loft lift the ball naturally.

The Handle Starts the Motion

One of the major causes of the yips is moving the clubhead or wrists first.

Instead, make your first move with the handle.

Begin with a small forward press, then gently push the handle away from the target. This hand action is not simply a movement of the club—it is the trigger that activates the body.

As the hands push the handle, the hips begin to pivot. The hips move the shoulders, the shoulders move the arms, and the arms move the club. Suddenly the entire motion becomes connected, rhythmic, and free of tension.

This sequence removes the anxious hit that so often appears when players try to control the clubhead with their wrists.

The “Thumbs Down” Transition

The transition is where many golfers lose control.

A snatch with the right hand or a pull with the left often creates a jerky motion and inconsistent contact. Instead, think of the lead hand making a gentle “thumbs down” movement.

This action is down and back—not forward.

As the left thumb uncocks in this manner, the shaft is gently pushed toward the centre of the body. This movement turns the left hip, straightens the left leg, and connects the wrist, elbow, shoulder, and torso into one coordinated action.

The club is no longer being manipulated by the hands alone. The body and club work together through impact.

Let the Loft Do the Work

One of the great misconceptions in chipping is that players need to lift the ball.

They do not.

Correct hand action controls the shaft and engages the pivot. The club approaches the ball with a slight descending strike, and the loft of the club sends the ball into the air.

When golfers stop trying to scoop the ball and begin using their hands to activate their pivot, they often discover that contact improves immediately and the yips begin to disappear.

Practice the Feeling at Home

You can train this movement away from the golf course.

Place a yardstick or ruler on the ground and rehearse pushing the handle while keeping your hands level. Feel how this hand action turns the hips during the takeaway and again during the “thumbs down” transition.

Over time, the movement becomes familiar, natural, and repeatable.

The goal is not to make a perfect swing—it is to train a motion where the hands engage the hips, the hips move the body, and the entire action becomes smooth and free from anxiety.

Remember: the cure for the chipping yips is not found in more wrist action or more effort. It is found in learning how the hands and hips work together.

Master that connection, and the simplest shots around the green can once again become the easiest shots in your game.