Having trouble with short putts?

The yips in putting is the equalalent to the shanks in iron shots. They are both ugly illnesses in golf that destroy golf scores quicker than anything and anybody near its victim seems to walk away in fear he or she might catch it. By definintion, the yips are when a player cannot make a putt inside of 4 feet regardless if its uphill, downhill, sidehill, or straight in. It can happen to any caliber of player and it shows up when least expected. Its origin is unknown. The best cure I have ever seen in restoring some confidence for someone that has this virus is this simple drill:

Ladder Drill

On the practice green, find a straight in slightly uphill putt. Align ten tees  in a row a foot apart from the hole out. Put a few golf balls next to each tee. Play a game and begin putting starting from 1 foot out. The rules are: If you make the putt at 1 foot,  progress to tee at 2 feet and so on. If you happen to miss a putt, regress to the previous tee. Try to graduate all the way up to the tenth tee. You will find this drill reinforces confidence by repeating success. You will make far more putts than you miss using this system, and enough practice with it will carry over into your next round of golf.