There are plenty of fabulous aspects to being a professional golfer, but the travel and having to stay in hotel after hotel is not exactly one of them.
However, that has changed in recent years thanks to Rent Like A Champion and its partnership with the PGA Tour.
According to Rent Like A Champion CEO Dave Longwell, the company has had a partnership with the PGA Tour since 2016 and developed one with THE PLAYERS a year later.
Since then, homeowners near TPC Sawgrass can use the company to offer up their homes to the golfers and caddies competing.
“These golfers are traveling so much, and a lot of them bring their families with them,” Longwell said. “It’s nice when you can share a living room and a kitchen together.”
Unlike other sporting events the company is involved with, such as college football or racing, a golf event requires a space for players to live for a week rather than a couple of days.
“We’re very proud and thankful for the homeowners in the community to have welcomed us in as they have,” Longwell said. “For most of the homeowners, they are offering up their primary residence.”
Longwell is happy that many of the golfers and homeowners who use their service often come back the next year wanting to do it again.
The company has about a more than 98% approval rating from those who have rented a home or owners who have offered it up.
“Many of the players end up asking for the same home,” Longwell said.
Since the majority of the renters are those competing in the professional event themselves, convenience is something considered when placing a home for rent.
“Being within 10 miles of the golf course is what we shoot for,” Longwell said.
Rent Like A Champion started in 2006 as “mom-and-pop” operation that focused solely on helping house visiting fans during University of Notre Dame home football games.
In 2015, the company went on the ABC television show “Shark Tank” and struck a business deal with Mark Cuban and Chris Sacca, and the result was growth and expansion into other sporting event markets that included the PGA Tour.
“We realized that there was a big need for us in the golf world,” Longwell said. “It’s exciting to see that our service is being utilized and filling that void.”
Jared Rice, THE PLAYERS vice president and executive director, has stated that the plan is to have an uncapped event in March, which follows suit with what other sporting leagues and events have done throughout the past year.
“2020 was a tough year for the travel industry,” Longwell said. “We are proud that we did not have to make any layoffs and were able to have a productive 2021. We hope that 2022 is much of the same.”
The company has hosted more than 75,000 guests over the years and offers more than 4,000 properties available across the country on its website.
Listing a home on the website is free and homes of all shapes and sizes are welcome.
According to Longwell, the company is always on the lookout for new homeowners willing to rent out their homes. Anyone living around TPC Sawgrass interested in doing so can email info@rentlikeachampion.com or call 855-BIG-GAME for more information.
