Chalk one up for the loo lobby.
Three months after Jon Rahm publicly lamented the dearth of restrooms at PGA Tour venues, the Tour announced it is making moves to rectify the shortage. In a Nov. 10 memo to players — as reported and shared by Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal — the Tour said that beginning next season it will require tournaments to offer “a minimum of four relief stations per nine holes,” for a total of eight across 18 holes. The mandate doesn’t quite satisfy Rahm’s request for “a freaking Porta-Potty on every hole,” but still, it’s nothing to pooh-pooh.
The new perks for 2024 don’t end there. In the note to players, Eric Baldwin, the Tour’s vice president of tournament business and fan engagement, detailed a slew of “key player, player spouse/family and caddie enhancements we are requiring all PGA Tour events to implement for the upcoming season” with the mission of “delivering a world-class experience commensurate with a PGA Tour event.” Among the improvements:
—Healthier dining options that will help players “maximize their performance and recovery.” (Presumably Phil Mickelson’s wellness coffee will not be among the new offerings.)
—”More detailed” caddie dining program. This should go a long way with loopers, who historically have felt underappreciated by the Tour. Underfed, too.
—Cold plunge tubs at every Tour stop. For the uninitiated, cold plunges are essentially ice baths that help athletes recover more quickly by reversing lactic acid buildup. Noted plungers on Tour include Rahm and Brian Harman. At the Ryder Cup earlier this year, Rory McIIroy took a cold plunge to help him cool off after a heated confrontation with U.S. caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay.
—Complimentary courtesy car program during tournament week or other approved program that provides transportation.
—Players’ families will also benefit in 2024, with private restrooms available to them on the course, along with water and dry snacks.
But wait, there’s more! For players who qualify for the signature and FedEx Cup Playoffs events, another suite of benefits await, including:
—“On-site and convenient parking options” for players and their support teams
—Access to player dining for players’ support teams (excluding caddies)
—Complimentary dry cleaning or laundry services for players and caddies
—Complimentary picture yardage book with the option for a complimentary standard book, if preferred, for both players and caddies
If it feels like a good time to be a PGA Tour player, that’s because it is, and not just because of the free laundry. With the threat of LIV Golf looming large over Ponte Vedra, Tour players are beginning to enjoy the rewards that Phil Mickelson will tell you the players have long been due.
First came the Player Impact Program, which doles out $100 million to the 20 golfers who drive the most engagement each season. Then came larger purses — much larger purses. The combined payouts for the 13 signature events in 2023 was $315 million; that’s nearly a 50% bump from the ’22 purses for those same events. And now comes news of the latest wave of enhancements, from toilets to transportation.
When it comes to perks in pro golf, the arms race is fully on.