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Pro-Am Golfers Go RV
From RVIA
 Three years ago, there were three players on the PGA Tour who traveled the
circuit in motorhomes. Today, there are 19. Pros and amateurs alike are turning
to RVs to avoid the hassles commonly associated with hotels, guest housing,
airports and especially lost or broken clubs.
But for many of the RVing
golfers, the ability to travel with their wives and children has been a driving
force behind the trend towards motorhomes. Sara Moores, director of player
relations and special programs for the PGA, recently told The New York Times,
"Ten years ago, players didn't travel with their families. Now the family unit
is out there. The whole face of the tour has changed."
Aside from lauding
the benefits of RV travel, many pro golfers are saying that RVing enhances their
performance on the greens. They get to go home in the evening after they play,
an advantage they say helps stabilize their games. Pro golfer Rory Sabbatini,
who travels with his wife and infant son, says that touring in an RV is having a
positive effect on both his family life and his golf game.
"You don't find
yourself getting stressed out," Sabbatini recently said. "Now my wife and son
come with me on tour. That has allowed me to relax and play more events without
getting fatigued or stressed out." Traveling by RV, he said, "is like being at
home [and it's] more relaxing" than flying and staying in hotels.
The
players and their families enjoy all the comforts of home while on the road,
according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). They appreciate
the state-of-the-art entertainment and communications systems, designer
interiors, gourmet kitchens, satellite and plasma TVs, and living rooms and
bedrooms that slide out at the push of a button to create extra space.
"I've
got my bed, my pillows, my satellite card, my underwear and socks in the RV,"
said Davis Love III, who is ranked fourth in the world and helped start the RV
trend three years ago among pro golfers. He and his luxury RV were profiled in a
recent Golf Digest article. Love singled out the freedom and feeling of home the
RV gives him on the road. He notes, "Having all your clothes in the motorhome
and not having to pack suitcases, you can get used to that. Plus we can take our
motorcycle. It fits right underneath."
But it's not just pros who use RVs to
pursue their golfing passions. "Every year hundreds of thousands of RV owners
hit the road in search of new and challenging golf courses to play throughout
the country," according to June's Golf Business magazine. This has prompted many
course owners to provide special accommodations like campground sites, discounts
and separate driving ranges just for RVers.
Our thanks to
RVIA for this article. RVIA (rvia.org) is the national association representing
more than 500 manufacturers and component suppliers producing approximately 98%
of all RVs made in the United States.
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