What it’s like living out of a suitcase on the PGA Tour

As a 31-year-old pro currently in the midst of his second season on the PGA Tour, Thomas Detry knows a thing or two about traveling efficiently.

The Belgian currently calls Dubai home, but has yet to establish a permanent base in the U.S. On this week’s episode of Subpar, Detry told hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz about what it’s like to compete on the PGA Tour with a family in tow — and no place to live.

“Right now, we’re living out of a suitcase, we’re pretty much living week by week,” Detry said. “I’ve got obviously my wife and my kids traveling with me as well, so it’s not that easy, but we make sure we get great houses, but we’re thinking of getting something and obviously everything came really quick.

“I got my PGA Tour card in summer 2022, and then suddenly I was like, ok, what do we do?” Detry continued. “I just moved to Dubai in 2021. I was kind of settled there as well. And then suddenly I’m like, ok, well, now I’m spending pretty much nine months of the year in the U.S. So do we get a place?”

Detry’s wife is from London, so he said they have a place to stay there if needed. But that doesn’t solve the U.S.-base issue.

“Right now we’re kind of still in a transition period,” Detry said. “We’re trying to figure it out. Where is the good place maybe to live? Scottsdale, I loved it. A little bit far away from home, but it’s a great place. Probably Florida, we’ve tried out the Caribbean as well, but it’s not that easy to get to.

“So, I think next year is the year where we’ll definitely commit to something.”

Some nice options indeed! As Knost remarked: “It’s good to be Thomas Detry!”

For more from Detry, including what it was like to play against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth as juniors, check out the full episode of Subpar below.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.