wellness - February 11, 2022
Golf and CBD: Can CBD Put an End to the Yips
Whether you’re hitting the green for some relaxed, low-stakes fun or a high-stakes game with stiff competition, feeling anxious is just something most people have accepted as normal while playing golf. One little twitch, one little jerk could change the whole trajectory of your shot. That thought alone is enough to get my fingers twitching on the keyboard.
This anxiety is commonly referred to as “the yips,” and it most commonly affects golfers and baseball players, but it can also affect tennis players, writers, artists…basically anyone doing anything that requires a high amount of concentration and little room for physical error.
In the past, golfers have found many ways to cope with the yips. And to be quite honest, the yips look very different depending on who is experiencing them.
It seems to hit golfers the hardest when attempting a short distance shot or a putt. This is typically the shot that requires the most concentration and the steadiest hand. The deeper the player concentrates, the more the nerves hit. Shaky hands, twitchy muscles, and the inability for the eyes to focus are all physical side effects that negatively take a toll on a player experiencing the yips.
Everyone from the greatest golfer in the world to a first time player struggles with the yips. People have tried everything from beta blockers to botox to alcohol in an attempt to calm the nerves and muscles, but indulging in each of these only adds another thing to deal with in place of the nerves!
Luckily, you don’t have to sacrifice performance—or health— to calm your nerves. As CBD becomes more widely known, it is making its way as the perfect “yips fighter” on the green. Read on to learn why!
How Does CBD Work? Science Made Simple
Your body is full of these things called receptors. And they do exactly what they sound like. They receive signals from chemicals that put your body’s response system into motion. When you start to feel anxious or nervous, your receptors are receiving signals from a few different chemicals in your brain that kick in and in turn flush your system with feelings of nervousness that cause the yips.
So how does CBD help?
CBD interacts with your body’s receptors, primarily the receptors in your central nervous system and peripheral nervous system (healthline.com).To get a little more specific, CBD stimulates the body’s receptors, allowing you to produce your own, natural endocannabinoids (Medical News Today), which are known to regulate stress. Pretty neat, right? In other words, CBD helps your body combat stress naturally by helping it create its own anti-stress army.
Why Is CBD the Best Option?
For starters, CBD is a completely legal and natural solution to fight the yips, unlike some of the other ways players have chosen to cope in the past. In fact, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson used CBD during the 2019 Masters (Bunkered.co)!
The other great thing about CBD is there really aren’t significant negative side effects, and it’s very difficult to dangerously overdo it. At Cannaroo, we offer a wide range of 100% legal CBD solutions. Our CBD products contain 0.3% or less THC, which means you can’t get “high” from our CBD.
Since you can’t get high, you retain all of your coordination, your mental awareness, and your poise.
CBD really won’t make you feel anything extra. It won’t make you feel loopy or socially removed or not like yourself. You will still feel like Y-O-U. Most people agree it takes the negative feelings away like anxiety and nervousness and leaves you feeling more of your best self.
What’s the Best Way to Use CBD While Playing Golf?
I’m no golf expert, but in my opinion, our tincture is the best way to go if you’re hoping to keep the yips at bay. Hold the tincture under your tongue for a few seconds, then swallow. You can also mix the tincture in a drink if you’d like! We are so very proud of the way our tinctures taste, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a little Cannaroo magic to a tasty drink. We sell a variety of different flavored tinctures here!
What Are Players Saying About It?
Several well-known players who use CBD are drawn to the anti-inflammatory properties. They say it has helped tremendously with their aches and pains. For one, Bubba Watson openly endorses CBD. Improved sleep and a faster recovery are the two main benefits that he speaks of (Golf Today). He notices he sleeps better and he has a faster, stronger recovery with use.
Scott McCarron is another big name in golf who uses CBD. He began using it to improve his sleep, but he has found that it can effectively boost the performance of the average golfer and also reduce anxiety (Golf Today)!
On CBD, Lucas Glover told GolfDigest, “I’ve always had some nagging, aching pains. Anxiety is something I had also fought. That was the real draw for me. I haven’t come across one thing that has been a negative.” (Golf Today)
So, there’s no denying it’s helping players with recovery, sleep, pain, and anxiety. It’s hard to argue with PGA Tour champions and Augusta National champions. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us too.
But What About Drug Testing?
Bubba Watson cleared up any confusion for those worried about drug testing. He said in an interview with Bloomberg that his team of doctors analyzed products to make sure there was zero contamination, so he doesn’t have to worry about failing a test. If that is something you are concerned about as well, Cannaroo offers a wide range of isolate products.
Isolate products contain pure CBD only without any additional terpenes or cannabinoids that might contribute to a failed drug test. We offer everything from gummies and softgels, to flavored tinctures in a variety of strengths and flavors. Click here to shop our isolate line!
How Golfers Combatted the Yips Before CBD
As I mentioned at the beginning, golfers have found several ways to cope with the yips, but all of these ways pack a serious punch full of side effects. Let’s look a little closer.
Alcohol
Probably the most common coping method for the yips is alcohol because it’s the most accessible. Golfers have turned to alcohol to calm their nerves for AGES. While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a cold drink or two on the green, if you overdo it, you sacrifice not only your performance but also your reputation. Let’s face it, swinging a metal pole with impaired motor skills is not the perfect combination. Let’s all just say, “no,” to drunk driving (on or off the green).
It can also be dangerous to indulge in alcohol often, we now know that a steady overindulgence can cause liver, brain, and heart damage. The big picture issue with using alcohol to treat anxiety is that it creates a dependence on alcohol. When you become dependent on alcohol, you gradually build a tolerance, which can easily lead to overindulgence before you even recognize what’s happening.
Beta Blockers
Some have even used blood pressure medication like beta blockers to keep the yips at bay. Although use of beta blockers is banned in the PGA Tour, this hasn’t stopped golfers from using them outside of big name tournaments and leagues.
The trouble with using beta blockers to rid the body of anxiety is that if taken incorrectly, they can actually weaken the heart muscle, leading to low blood pressure. Side effects are dizziness, fatigue, fainting, nausea, and blurred vision. They also interact negatively with a handful of other drugs, one of them being commonly used NSAIDs like Ibuprofen (singlecare.com).
Botox
A less common and more surprising method of fighting the yips is using Botox! This method is conducted by injecting Botox into the muscles that are overacting. It’s a temporary fix and also wildly understudied. It’s also a little dangerous too, as too much Botox can actually weaken the muscles. Botox won’t calm your nerves or your anxiety. It just makes it less likely for you to experience a muscle twitch.
CBD—A Golfer’s Saving Grace
So, we’ve broken down some common and not-so-common yips fighting methods. And sure, each one has its perks, but none of them quite do the job like CBD. No other form of coping with the yips can actually help with recovery, sleep, and anxiety all in one. The other methods have some pretty intense risks accompanying them, and you shouldn’t have to compromise your performance for your safety. To make all of this information more comparable, check out the pro-con chart below for a summary of my findings.
Try Cannaroo CBD Risk Free!
That’s right! If you order any Cannaroo product and you are unhappy with your purchase, we will issue a full refund! That’s how confident we are that you’re going to love our CBD products. Click here to shop our great tasting line of amazing yips-fighting products!