It’s easy to watch professional golfers week in, week out and forget that they’re real people. Real people who have a life outside of walking tee to green.
Real people who have to get to and from tournaments as well as need a place to stay.
Part of being a professional golfer is moving around an awful lot. With golf tournaments every week, and lots of it in played in different parts of either the US or the world, there’s lots of travelling.
This means lots of travel preparation and staying at different places. So, where do professional golfers stay during tournaments?
In the article below, we are going to cover all you need to know about where PGA players stay during a tournament, how much the pay, and everything else you need to know. Let’s take a look.
Where Do Professional Golfers Stay During Tournaments?
When it comes to tournament week, it really is up to the player where they stay. If they live in close proximity to the course, or within reasonable driving distance, it’s not uncommon for pros, even some of the best, to take a car to tournaments.
However, for most, this is rarely possible, simply because the tournament is hosted far away from where they reside. So what happens when a golfer cannot commute to the tournament?
Each tournament is unique. For example, at The Open, there’s something called The Open Accommodation Bureau, which helps players with finding somewhere suitable to stay during tournament week.
There is a wide choice of house and apartment rentals and hotels, all of which will be close to the hosting course.
On the PGA Tour, it’s a little different. Players are largely responsible for finding their own accommodation.
Now this probably isn’t an issue for the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, who thanks to plenty of success in the game, have the resources to leave all the admin to someone else.
For many PGA Tour players, the cheapest option is the best. It’s not uncommon for players to stay in budget accommodation relatively close to the course.
Lots tend to stay a bit further out to ensure that they stay somewhere peaceful and quiet, as rest in between rounds is paramount.
Who Pays For PGA Golfer Accommodations?
While NFL, NBA and MLB players don’t have to worry about things such as accommodation or travel when playing on the road, and they certainly don’t have to worry about footing the bill.
So who pays for these accommodation? The players themselves.
Golfers on the PGA Tour are quite alone in that sense. The big stars have people taking care of their travel plans. However, for many PGA Tour players, sorting out accommodation is a weekly occurrence that they handle themselves.
How Much Do Players Spend On Housing?
How much do players spend on housing during the course of a season on the PGA Tour? A lot. It varies as not every player has the same budget.
Not every player stays in the same place, but one thing that’s for sure is that hotel accommodations are a huge expense for tour players. One estimate has the average yearly travel and lodging cost of PGA Tour players at $200,000.
Do Professional Golfers Share Houses With Other Players?
PGA Tour events feature largely the same faces week in, week out, which means that the players get to know each other relatively well. It’s widely known that some are great friends, so it’s not unusual for players to sometimes stay together during tournament week.
It is very common for players to rent out a house and stay together. This allows players to save on costs as well as stay focused on their game.
Do Professional Golfers Bring Their Family?
Again, it’s all about personal preference. There are many golfers who travel with their family, or at least some of their family. There are also plenty who go it alone and leave their family at home.
It’s also not the same for every tournament. For example, if a player lives in California, but is playing The Open in Scotland, his family are likely to stay at home.
However, if he’s playing at Pebble Beach, then it may be a different story.
Tony Finau is well known for bringing his family with him to tournaments. At his core he is a family man, who puts hits family first and play better with his loved ones near.
It is also common for family members to caddy for a player, and in that case, the family member goes along for the ride.
44-time professional winner Lee Westwood often has his wife Laurie Coltart Westwood on the bag, so that’s definitely one family member he’s taking with him.
At the end of the day, when it comes to family, each player is different, as is each week. Therefore, it really is a case of sometimes players bring their family members, and sometimes, they do not.
Where Do Professional Caddies Stay During Tournaments?
Do caddies stay with their players? Sometimes, yes. On other occasions, they will have their own accommodation, with their own family or other caddies.
Who pays for a caddie’s accommodation? This also depends. If we’re talking about the biggest and best on the PGA Tour, players who have incredibly lucrative sponsorship deals, then caddies will often have their expenses paid.
For the most part, caddies are responsible for paying their accommodation bills. Each player pays their caddy a flat fee, plus a performance-related bonus. This is usually something along the lines of 10% for a win and 7.5% for a top-ten finish.
What Do Pro Golfers Do After Their Round?
The short answer is whatever they want. There are of course some formalities post round, such as signing their scorecards and making sure that everything is done according to tournament rules, but after that, there’s plenty of freedom.
Some of the bigger players may be obliged to speak to the media, while some may have sponsorship obligations. Many players, especially if there’s another round coming the next day, like to get straight back to practicing.
They’ll hit balls on the range, work on their swing, get on the chipping green, or hit some putts.
Aside from that, it’s about relaxing, getting plenty of rest and staying mentally prepared for the next round. Of course, every player is different, and every player has their own post-round routine.
Final Thoughts
In summary, it really does depend on the golfer as to where they stay. It depends on their standing in the game, their finances and their personal preferences, but it’s not a case of 5 star hotels all the way, that’s for sure.
While it may appear all glitz and glamour on television, the PGA Tour can be a real slog for many players. Not every player has the riches to fly between events, nor do they have the financial backing to stay in luxurious hotels week after week.
For many, there’s hours of driving. They spend weeks away from their families and their home at a time, staying in budget hotel after budget hotel.
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