Since revisiting Luke Donald's rise to number one in the world, it reinforced for me how impactful a truly polished short game can be. Even during golf's big hitting era, Luke proved you don't need to bomb it 300 yards to find success.

What always stood out to me was Luke's flatstick mastery inside 10 feet. On Tour telecasts, it seemed he scarcely missed from this range. Now we know the key - focus. Through disciplined routine, Luke transformed an area many take for granted.

His solution was simple but insightful - extensively repetitive practice from 4-8 feet. This "dead" zone makes or breaks scores but often goes overlooked. Not for Luke though, as he worked tirelessly on this proven difference-maker.

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For traveling players, nailing mid-range putts separates the also-rans from champions when conditions get tough. It's why I still strive to replicate Luke's grind at this vital distance myself. His example shows there's no substitute for putting in the time with the short stick where it matters most.

For pros or amateurs alike, we'd all do well to learn from Luke Donald's surefire lesson - to accomplish great things requires zeroing in on the overlooked, yetoh-so valuable small gains inside 10 feet.

When discussing his approach to sharpening his short game, Luke shared the impactful putting drill he employed to dominate the crucial 4-8 foot range.

The putting drill that @LukeDonald credits for making him one of the best putters in the world⬇️

Hit 5 putts from 4-8f from 4 different hole locations. Goal is to make 15/20 (80%). pic.twitter.com/VmKHXUiEQ2

— Fredrik Lindblom (@f_lindblom) June 2, 2024

As an avid player myself, I certainly appreciate just how vital those intermediate distances are to posting low scores. Leave just one or two short putts from inside 10 feet, and it's easy for a few extra strokes to slip into the box score.

Keeping things simple, Luke's drill merely required five balls and some time spent rotating between four different holes on the practice green. But in dropping precise clusters from 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 feet, it enabled meticulous focus on a game-changing scoring element.

Through endless reps of this nature, it's clear Luke ingrained the pace control and touch needed to routinely pour in those "easy" makes. No doubt this painstaking attention to detail paid major dividends when pressure mounted on Tour.

Having evaluated top-tier practices globally, Luke Donald's illustration of how even basic drills can elevate one's short game doesn't surprise me. With some dedicated 4-8 foot work added to weekly routines, I'm confident scores across ability levels stand to dip noticeably.

By varying the hole locations after each sequence of five putts, Luke further enhanced the real-world pressure of gauging speed on green contours changing ever so slightly.

Such thorough simulations obviously served him tremendously on Tour's finest courses. And his success rate goal of 16 of 20 putts truly exemplified his laser-like focus from 4-8 feet under the gun.

Admittedly, an 80% conversion may seem a stretch initially, even for experienced club golfers. But as someone who's tracked scores globally, I can attest that simply nudging your 4-8 foot percentage from say 35% to 50% through diligent practice would undoubtedly produce gratifying scoring results.

Overall, the testimonial from the former world No.1 himself reinforces that sharpening one's weapon inside 10 feet is truly the surest path to becoming a deadly putter. So I strongly advise the ranks of amateurs to faithfully implement Luke Donald's wise drill into their routines going forward. The returns stand to be well worth their while.

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