Objective: The aim of this study is to classify the phenomenology of the Yips in Golf and investigate what underlies this anomalous movement by answering the following research questions:

1. Is the phenomenology of the Yips compatible with any of the known neurological hyperkinetic movement disorders?

2. What are the characteristics and consequences of the abnormal arm movements based on

a. Electromyography 

b. Accelerometry 

c. Number of putts holed and distance to the hole of the missed putts.

The relevance of this research is that by carefully characterizing the Yips we gain a better insight into the nature and cause of this abnormal movement towards further research that focuses on prevention & treatment of this condition.

Background: The Yips is a movement disorder that occurs in many golfers (5-50%), especially during short, subtle strokes such as putting and chipping. It is a very abrupt, fast, short-lived, involuntary movement, especially in the forearms, usually the dominant arm. The Yips gives the ball the wrong speed and direction. The Yips mainly occurs in older, male players who have been playing golf for some time and there appears to be a familial predisposition. The Yips shows some overlap with Task-Specific Dystonia, but much is still unknown about the nature and cause of the Yips.

Method: Subjects complete standardized questionnaires, are neurologically examined and perform several series of golf movements (putts) that are normal for every golfer. The putts are recorded with EMG-electrodes stuck to the forearms. The movements and accelerations of the golf stroke are measured with accelerometers. Number of successful putts (into the hole) are counted as well as the distance to the hole of missed putts.

The study consists of 2 sub-studies:

1 = Questionnaires are completed and analyzed and compared with the video recordings of all putts that are standardized assessed by a panel of 3 neurologists specialized in movement disorders

2 = A kinematic analysis of the putting movements in which the muscles involved are examined using electromyography and accelerometry and this is compared to the result

Results: See Conclusions

Conclusion: There are no results and conclusions available as 2024 is the start of the study. We hope to present the results and conclusions at the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders 2025, 2026 and/or 2027.

References: 1. McDaniel KD, Cummings JL, Shain S. The “yips”: a focal dystonia of golfers. Neurology. 1989 Feb;39(2 Pt 1):192–5.
2. Smith AM, Malo SA, Laskowski ER, Sabick M, Cooney WP, Finnie SB, et al. A Multidisciplinary Study of the ‘Yips’ Phenomenon in Golf. Sports Med. 2000 Dec 1;30(6):423–37.
3. van Wensen E, van der Zaag-Loonen HJ, van de Warrenburg BP. The Dutch Yips Study: Results of a Survey Among Golfers. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y). 2021;11:27
4. Stahl CM, Frucht SJ. Focal task-specific dystonia: a review and update. J Neurol. 2017; 264:1536-41.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-yips-in-golf-is-it-a-task-specific-dystonia/