Former world No. 1 has a drill that will make you a dead-eye putter

During his prime, Luke Donald had one of the best short games in the world. He routinely ranked inside the top five on Tour in short-game strokes gained metrics, and he rode that scoring ability to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking in the early 2010s.

In an era dominated by power, it’s easy to forget just how successful you can be when you dial in your wedges and putter. But as Donald has shown, you can be plenty successful when you’re on point with the scoring clubs.

One of the biggest keys for Donald’s success was his dead-eye accuracy with the flatstick — particularly inside of 10 feet. So, how did he become one of the best putters in the game? It was all thanks to this one drill.

Luke Donald’s putting drill

Making putts inside of 10 feet is absolutely crucial if you want to post low scores. Donald was well aware of this fact, and he made sure to emphasize this distance every time he was on the practice green.

“I’d create this four-to-eight foot drill,” Donald says. “Twenty putts around four different holes.”

Setting up this drill is simple. Grab five balls and go find a hole location on the practice green. Drop one ball at four feet, another at five feet, another at six feet, another at seven and a final ball at eight. Then go through the sequence and try to make as many as you can.

After the first sequence, go find another hole location and repeat the drill again. Do this around four different hole locations and keep track of how many putts you hole.

When Donald was in his prime, he’d aim to make 16 putts during this drill — good for an 80 percent make rate. This goal might be a little lofty for most weekend warriors, but even if you can make around 50 percent in this range, you’ll be in good shape.

Implement this drill into your practice routine and you’re sure to become a dead-eye putter in no time.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.