MATTHEW SOUTHGATE

We’re now into the part of the year when the season has come to a close and attentions turn to the following campaign and what you’re going to do over the course of the off season.

The first thing you do when you’re planning your schedule is lock in the Rolex Series events. Then you need to ensure you don’t play too much before them so you’re fresh when you arrive. After that, you look at the events with the next biggest prize pools and the tournaments played on courses you think might suit your game.

These days, I look to play 25 or 26 events in a season. I used to play more when I was younger, but you have to find the right balance between time at home, time practising and time playing competitively to make sure you’re fully focused and prepared come tournament week. Getting the schedule right is always a bit of a headache. Some guys on tour will play fewer events than me, but if I’m sat at home I’ll probably end up going out and playing anyway, so I might as well do that in a tournament.

I’m also someone who prefers using events to work on swing changes and technique tweaks. You can try and be focused and put in 100 per cent effort on the range, but nothing matches up to being on the course in tournament conditions. If there is a smaller event the week before a big tournament, I’d always rather play in that if I’m trying to work on a tweak or new swing thought, rather than spending the week practising. I also prefer to see a couple of putts go in under a bit of pressure, as opposed to shelling hundreds of four-footers on the practice putting green.

Obviously the way you play dictates your schedule, too. If you register a big win early in the season, it gives you the luxury of taking weeks off when you want as the pressure is released – you don’t have to worry about keeping your card or qualifying for Dubai.

I’ve already sat down with my manager and caddie and looked at next season’s events. I don’t think I’ll play again before 2020, although there’s a chance I’ll go to Mauritius and play there as a bit of a holiday and to get some sun! But the season proper won’t start for me until Abu Dhabi, most likely. I’ll probably head to Dubai in the first week of January and start training and practising out there. With Abu Dhabi being a Rolex Series event, if you knock off a top ten there it sets your season up nicely.

I’ll be doing plenty at home, too. I’ll be working on strength and conditioning in the gym and also putting in some hours on my short game. It’s been a weakness this season and prevented me from winning a tournament at the Dunhill Links. I was also playing so well at the start of the year but the short game was holding me back, which ended up putting me under some pressure through the middle of the season as my results weren’t as good as they should have been.

So I’ll be hitting a lot of chips this off season. There are times when the short game feels close, then I’ll duff one out of nowhere and have no idea why it’s happened, which obviously affects my confidence. The short game will be on a bit of a rebuild through December and I’ll be hitting thousands of chip shots to try and get that back up to scratch. If I improve my chipping, there’s no reason why I can’t have a really good season next year.

I won’t put the clubs away completely this winter, but I know where my focus needs to be. It doesn’t really matter how bad the weather is when it comes to pitching and chipping – you can always go out and do something. Plus, you can wake up in December with a free day and go out and chip for seven or eight hours. It’s a grind, but it gives you satisfaction in the winter knowing you’ve probably put in more work on that day than the vast majority of your peers. The short game is where the best players in the world really set themselves apart and I’ll be doing all I can to improve in that area.

“I’ll hit thousands of chip shots to try and get my short game back up to scratch”