Pro Golfer Justin Thomas on His Favorite Places—From the Best Golf Courses to His Dreamy Babymoon Destination

As one of golf’s top-ranked pros, Justin Thomas has long been taking swings around the world, whether traveling to his favorite courses, Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down or Australia’s Royal Melbourne, or those he finds more challenging, like Pennsylvania’s Oakmont or New Jersey’s Pine Valley. Though he calls Florida home, he spent extra time on Garden State greens recently while filming his big-screen debut in this summer’s blockbuster comedy, “Happy Gilmore 2,” in which he played a photo-snapping version of himself.

Spending such a big chunk of the year traveling on the PGA Tour, where he’s notched an impressive 16 career wins, the father to a 9-month-old with wife Jillian now cherishes the simpler moments. “They hit it spot-on in the movie—your happy place changes,” the 34-year-old tells Travel + Leisure. “Right now, mine is a full night’s sleep for Molly, no whining or crying throughout the night—all the old people stuff.” 

The couple’s little one has already become a seasoned traveler, accompanying her famous dad to most of his tournaments, though she hasn’t made the jump across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.K. yet. “With our lifestyle, you have to make do and figure things out,” he says. “My wife and I don’t have anything to compare her to, but by our very novice knowledge, she’s been a great baby. We’ve been very lucky.”

Thomas admits Jillian is the “mastermind” behind traveling with the infant, and his role is to “try not to get in the way or mess anything up and be there when I’m needed,” as well as packing a travel crib and blackout curtains. “Both of our moms kind of roll their eyes at the amount of technology and gadgets there are these days,” he admits with a laugh. 

But it’s all worth it for the Thomases to enjoy life on the road together. “I think it’ll be just so great for her to learn about different places. Seeing so many spots is something that she’ll be very lucky to do as a young’un.”

Before they became parents, the Thomases were already frequent travelers, even taking a babymoon to Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. “It was a very relaxing and nice getaway for us, but I felt for Jillian because they had some great cocktails on the menu that only I was able to indulge in,” he says. “But the food is also incredible.” 

The Volunteer State has a special meaning for the couple since they got married in College Grove, Tennessee, in 2022, with many of their guests staying at the Harpeth Hotel in nearby Franklin, which he says is “awesome.” “We try to get there every once in a while since there’s so many great little restaurants and areas you can walk to—it’s a sweet town,” he says. 

Thomas knows that part of the country well, having grown up in Louisville, where he recommends going to Fourth Street Live! and the waterfront, visiting nearby St. Matthews, and checking out a race at Churchill Downs. He then went to college to the south at the University of Alabama, where he played golf for the Crimson Tide; “All you need to do in Tuscaloosa is go to a football game,” says Thomas.

Now he calls the Jupiter, Florida, area home, where “everything is very laid-back and relaxed,” whether it’s enjoying meals on the water at Square Grouper Tiki Bar or U-Tiki Beach or heading up to 1000 North for nights out. 

And when he leaves home for tournaments, he prioritizes easy, streamlined travel. These days he usually shares NetJets private flights with other players. “Time is very precious, and the more time you can save, the better it is for our game essentially,” the No. 5 player says.

In his earlier days, it was a little more taxing to travel with his golf clubs, checking them in on flights with the rest of the baggage. “You get a sore right arm pretty quick from lugging that thing through the airport,” he says. “Everybody’s got horror stories—I’ve had times where bags don’t show up and you’re just trying to make it work.”

His best advice for fellow golf travelers is to be ready to pivot. “I don’t want to say you need a backup plan, but just know things change and stuff happens, so have an understanding and be okay with it and go with the flow.”

Thomas has learned to focus on what he can control, like always bringing a full-sized pillow with him in his carry-on. “That’s a must—I travel with a pillow every week,” he says of prioritizing comfort on the go. Also in his bag are Chapstick, a couple Sharpies, Advil, a phone charger, snacks, and electrolytes.

But above all, there’s nothing he prioritizes more than sunscreen.  Spending so much of his life outside, his parents were always pretty diligent about having him get regular skin checks. When he was in high school, he had a mole taken off his back that turned out to be cancerous. “It wasn’t anything major, but it had to be dug out a little bit, and turned out to be okay,” he says. That made him realize how important these exams are, especially aware of how much the back of his neck and calves are exposed to the sun.

At a skin check when he was 26, the athlete pointed out a mole on his left calf that was “very small, but looked different.” His instincts were right—the spot was in the early stages of melanoma.

The surgery was fairly simple—a half-hour procedure that he was awake for. But the impact was huge. “It was a pretty eye-opening experience,” he says. “I was very lucky to catch it as early as I did.” 

Thomas decided to turn his scare into an opportunity to educate others, starting a sunscreen line called WearSPF: “For a lot of people, it’s like being hungry: You wait till you’re hungry to eat. They wait until they feel burnt or are sunburned to put on sunscreen, “ he says. “But it’s about applying before you go out, reapplying as the day goes on, and learning about the UV index. Just because it’s not hot or sunny doesn’t mean you can’t get burnt, and I wasn’t as cognizant of that in the past.”

He’s also used his influence for creative partnerships, including a recent one with Jason and Travis Kelce’s Garage Beer. “I was able to spend a little time with Jason at the tour event in Philly, and he said his wife is constantly getting on him for how sunburned he gets,” Thomas said. “He was very excited about this collaboration because he needs all the sunscreen!”

Even though he and Travis were both in Happy Gilmore 2, they didn’t cross paths there—but they have hung out a bit. If he were to plan a trip with them, the agenda would be simple. “I think going somewhere with some golf, because I know Travis loves golf, and I think Jason does as well,” Thomas says. “But just somewhere fun and sitting back, being a fly on the wall to those two, watching them do their thing would be funny and entertaining!”