Making themselves at home in Rochester: What PGA players look for in rental properties
Throughout its history, Oak Hill Country Club has hosted many major golf tournaments, and there’s always a lot of speculation about where the top players are staying.
Rumors flew during the 2003 PGA Championship that Tiger Woods was a guest at a home backing up to Oak Hill’s 15th hole. Either that, or he was at a residence near Midvale Country Club in Penfield. Or he had booked two entire floors for himself and his entourage at The Lodge at Woodcliff in Perinton, or he was bunking somewhere in Fairport.
His base-camp location never leaked out; a lot of effort goes into shielding players’ privacy. But somehow someone got wind of the address of his home away from home for the 2013 tourney, when he traveled here with his girlfriend at the time, skiing champion Lindsey Vonn.
Gawkers drove over to the 4,362-square-foot property on Pine Acres Drive in Pittsford, and a few shined their headlights in the front windows, which did not have drapes.
Tara Kavanaugh, who arranged Woods’ stay, was alerted to the invasion by a phone call from the golf legend's personal chef.
“So, I went over there and took sheets to block out the light coming in,” she said.
A clutch play and all in a day’s work. Although it happened toward the end an entire year of work to secure perfect accommodations for 65 of golf's elite.
And Kavanaugh, a longtime Oak Hill member and real estate agent for Red Barn Properties in Pittsford, did it for free as the PGA’s designated volunteer real estate coordinator for the 2013 championship.
“It is an enormous job,” said Kavanaugh, who marketed 110 properties. “And I did it and it worked out fantastically, but it was a lot of work for me.”
A few homeowners were kind enough to give her gift cards, “which they should have,” she said with a laugh. “They made money.”
In some cases, a lot of money — large homes rented for as much as $15,000 for the run of that tournament.
For this year's seven-day event, the PGA has contracted with Midwest outfit Rent Like A Champion, which has expanded beyond its original mission of facilitating home rentals for large groups attending college football games around the country. Local homeowners who rent out their places for PGA week through the company will pay a fee.
“Our primary purpose is to help (the PGA) house the golfers — the players themselves — and then the sponsors, the tournament staff and administration, the volunteers for the tournament that are coming in from out of town and then fans, generally in that order,” said CEO Dave Longwell.
Rent Like A Champion offers free listings on its website (rentlikeachampion.com) that anyone can access but takes a 17.9% cut of rental proceeds for marketing costs, insurance and on-demand support.
Included in those listings is a 5,500-square-foot “waterfront private oasis” in Webster charging $3,500 a night. The house has four bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, entertainment areas, a carriage house and expansive views of Lake Ontario. It’s a little over 12 miles from Oak Hill.
A slightly pricier option, at $3,750 a night, sits on 2 acres in Pittsford and is 2.6 miles from Oak Hill. The home has five bedrooms, four and a half baths, an open kitchen, entertainment areas, a fireplace surround created by renowned metal sculptor Albert Paley and a live-edge walnut dining table that can seat at least 14 people.
'They travel in fives'
In Kavanaugh’s experience, when it comes to rental homes, besides privacy, four things matter most to players.
First, they want to be close to the club. The closer the better. Woods’ 2013 rental was less than 2 miles from Oak Hill. Rory McIlroy’s, off East Street in Pittsford, was about 5, she said.
Second, they want something sizable.
“They like five bedrooms and five bathrooms, if possible,” she said, because “they travel in fives: the player, their agent, their caddie, their chef and their trainer. That’s how they roll. Sometimes they bring family, sometimes they don’t.”
Sometimes, she said, caddies rent their own places, usually townhomes.
From 2013: Chef Gary Piazza had catering job of career with PGA champ Jason Dufner.
Tour pros also like their rentals to have such amenities as a pool table and a big flat-screen TV, “because when they’re not playing, they’re home watching,” she said.
Or possibly working out. In 2013, McIlroy and Adam Scott (who ended up renting Kavanaugh’s then-home on East Avenue near San Rafael Drive for $11,500) requested spin bikes, and Kavanaugh was able to get Midtown Athletic Club to provide them.
Finally, she said, they’re looking for “a clean and comfortable atmosphere.”
Squeaky clean, in some cases.
In advance of the 2013 tournament, Kavanaugh was tasked with finding a house for Phil Mickelson and his entourage.
His wife, Amy, is severely allergic to pet hair, so they needed a place where no pets lived.
“And they needed a significant home, something really nice,” she said. “I found a really nice house, and I asked the owners if they had pets, and they said just a goldfish. And I said perfect.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: PGA Championship in Rochester NY: Where do players stay on tour
