Families Taking the Tour

By Bob Buttitta, Ventura County Star

Rory Sabbatini is among a growing list of PGA professionals who have decided life on the road is better with the whole family.

"You don't find yourself getting stressed out," said Sabbatini, who won the Colonial in May. "Having my wife and kids come with me on tour has allowed me to relax and play more events without getting fatigued."

Amy Sabbatini said it can be a challenge to travel to as many as 30 events a year, but she believes it's better than the alternative.

"You see the person you love work so hard day in and day out for a goal," Amy Sabbatini said. "So it's nice to be there with him and see the joy on his face when he accomplishes his goals. It makes all the hassles worthwhile."

Golf is one of the rare sports where families are able to travel with dad.

While most athletes' children must follow the exploits of their dad from afar, PGA Tour families have the option of following dad around the course. And after a round, dad can go with his family to dinner and even tuck the kids into bed.

Sabbatini, and players such as Davis Love III and John Daly, pack their families into motorhomes.

Their home on wheels has everything a hotel room would have, plus a washing machine. "Traveling by RV is like being at home and is more relaxing than flying," Sabbatini said.

An RV with all the comforts of home can be expensive. Typical motorhomes range from $65,000 to $145,000, not including the high prices of gas and insurance. But custom-designed RVs, like the ones Sabbatini and Love have, can cost $500,000 or more.

"It was just one of those things that we knew we were having a baby and we were looking for a way to make traveling as easy as possible, as well as also for there to be a constant environment for our children," Sabbatini said.

"It is one of those things that as we have gone along, it has just worked out really well for us."

Besides avoiding all the troubles that can come with flying, having a motorhome eliminates the need for a hotel rooms.

More Pros Joining RV Caravan

According to rv.com, five years ago there were three players on the PGA Tour who traveled the circuit in motorhomes. Today, there are perhaps 20 or more PGA players traveling in RVs. They're turning to RVs to avoid the hassles commonly associated with hotels, guest housing and airports, especially lost or broken clubs, the tools of their trade.

But for many of the RVing golfers, the ability to travel with their wives and children has also 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 golf game.

"You don't find yourself getting stressed out," Sabbatini recently said of having his family and home close by. "Now my family travels 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] 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 on the RV," said Davis Love III, who helped start the RV trend among pro golfers. 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 [in the RV's storage area]."

RV travel on the PGA TOUR has not replaced the comforts of first class air travel or private jets, but several players have embraced the coziness of “riding the bus.” Rory and Amy Sabbatini caught the RV bug after several road trips with friend and fellow TOUR player John Daly. They took the plunge and purchased their own after Rory’s victory at the 2003 FBR Capital Open. Prior to the 2005 PLAYERS Championship, the Sabbatinis will begin riding in a new customized coach from Millennium Coach. The rig will feature plasma TVs inside and out, a washer/dryer, kitchen with full-size fridge and dishwasher and all the amenities of a luxurious hotel room.

“RV’n with Rory” will be your inside look at life on the road on the PGA TOUR as seen through the eyes of Rory and Amy Sabbatini.

Traveling in RV Full of Adventure
The speed and comfort of private air travel, enjoyed by most accomplished PGA TOUR pros these days, has its obvious benefits. You can arrive at your destination faster, but can you pop out a grill and plasma TV and enjoy an impromptu picnic with fellow TOUR travelers only minutes from the course? Only in an RV and that's the way Rory and Amy Sabbatini like it.

“Sure, you get to your destination faster, but you still have to get a hotel bed and live in a different place every week,” said Amy. “We have our own bed, sheets and pillows and it gives us a sense of normalcy. It’s really like having a true home on the road. Having a family, it makes it a lot easier to travel.”

Their latest RV arrived in time for the 2005 PLAYERS Championship.

The RV life did not start out as smooth as Rory and Amy would have liked. It took awhile to get used to driving the massive machines. On their first trip in 2003, Rory tried pulling through a fast food parking lot and ran over a huge boulder. They didn’t notice any damage at first, but noticed sparks coming from the dragging tailpipe as they passed through Oklahoma City. On their second trip, en route to Castle Pines, Colorado, they were towing their Jeep and it somehow became separated from the RV in a small Texas panhandle town. It came to rest in a small ditch with a blown out tire, unbeknownst to the Sabbatinis until they were flagged down five miles out of town.

“Yeah, we did not get off to the best start, but the learning curve was a short one,” said Rory. “There have been one or two additional scrapes, but I’ve become a pretty good driver I think.”

To help with longer drives, the couple has hired the brother of Rory’s best friend and caddy, Kevin Fasbender. Even then, Amy has to sometimes push her husband out of the driver’s seat.

“He’s like a little kid riding a new Big Wheel when he gets in the driver’s seat,” said Amy. “Sometimes I need to remind him that his full-time job involves driving a little ball, not a big rig! The important thing is that we have a lot of fun and quality time traveling this way and I think a lot of the players and wives out here would like it more than they might think at first.”

Sweet 16 Pits Husband Against Wife
A graduate of the University of Arizona, Rory Sabbatini will be sitting on opposite sides of the fence Thursday evening as his Wildcats face of against the alma mater of his wife, Amy – the Oklahoma State University Cowboys. The teams square off in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in the Chicago Region. Arizona is seeded third in the region and Oklahoma State seeded second. The game is viewed by most experts as a toss-up.

“I think Rory’s caddie is a little nervous about us watching it together,” said Amy. “OSU’s biggest problem is lack of a big man, but I think Joey Graham will step up and have a great game. I’m sticking to my roots and saying the Cowboys are finally going to get their shot at the big title.”

“If Stoudamire is on, we can beat anybody,” said Rory. “In the end, I think it’s North Carolina’s year to cut down the nets.”

The couple is not sure where in Ponte Vedra they’ll be watching the game following the first round of the PLAYERS Championship.