“Driver yips.” “Brain, absolute mush.” That’s how Paige Spiranac described her recent rounds in her latest Instagram update. This marks her third course in two weeks where the same problem has resurfaced. Fans are concerned as Spiranac’s tone reflected growing self-doubt and an emotional spiral she seemed unable to overcome.

“I need to admit something. I have the driver yips right now, and your girl is not in a good place. So I played Shinnecock recently, best I’ve ever hit it. I left that round so excited for summer golf. I was like, ‘This is gonna be my summer. I’m gonna play the best golf of my life,'” the golf influencer said. “I take this confidence into the Truist Pro-Am. First tee shot, snap hook it in front of everyone. Brain, absolute mush. Disaster for the next nine holes.”

Spiranac was playing pro-am at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte with Seth Curry and Dell Curry, alongside PGA Tour pros Si Woo Kim and Max Homa. Her front nine was an absolute disaster, worsened by the weather.

Spiranac came back strong on the back nine, but that didn’t end her driving problems. After the Truist Championship, she went to Vegas and then to Caves Valley Golf Club. Everywhere, the story remained the same. The ball was going right or left; Spiranac couldn’t hit it straight down the fairway.

Although frustrating, she already has a plan to cope with the challenge. According to Spiranac, one factor affecting her mental state is her yellow nails, a color she doesn’t like.

“So I think I’m gonna get the nails changed, and then that is step number one. That is step number one in fixing the driver yips,” the 33-year-old jokingly said.

Regardless of the joke, Spiranac wants to get rid of the yips, as it’s not her first experience with them. During an episode of her podcast, ‘Playing a Round with Paige Renee,’ she revealed she had the same problem. In fact, driver yips were the reason she was having trouble playing competitively.

Then, in May 2022, another episode came to light. She shared a tweet then saying she threw her TaylorMade Stealth Driver 40 yards in the air and it didn’t have a scratch. While many would have assumed it was just driver testing and promotion, one fan asked the reason behind this act. “Driver yips” was her straightforward response.

These yips aren’t the only thing affecting her mental health.

“I’ve always said that golf is the reason I’m in therapy, and it’s also my therapy,” she said.

The former pro-turned-influencer admitted that golf completely consumed her mentally. Its emotional toll was why she didn’t pursue a professional career. And she is not the only one affected by yips.

Professional golfers who have battled yips

Despite 64 PGA Tour victories and 9 major championship wins, Ben Hogan struggled with the yips toward the end of his career. At one point, it became unbearable, so he reportedly preferred to walk away from golf rather than endure the embarrassment, something Paige Spiranac did too.

The yips also affected Bernhard Langer during his professional career. Reportedly, his putting struggles were severe, and he had to go through multiple putting styles before finding a workable solution. Sergio Garcia likewise fought putting demons for years before finally winning the 2017 Masters using a claw grip.

Although Spiranac doesn’t play professionally anymore, the yips could still affect her game and thus influence her online content choices and mentality.