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By Ryan Lavner
Correspondent

FINDLEY LAKE, N.Y. -- For the better part of 32 weeks, players live out of their suitcases. The phone calls are long distance, the hotel rooms lonely, and their cheering sections consist of locals who no direct connection with the players.

But it has been said that this week at the Peek'n Peak Classic, golf is secondary. Family is first here; a rare occurrence on a tour when any given week can change everything.

Tour rookie Bryn Parry can vouch for that.

The Vancouver, Canada, native received good advice from fellow tour player Keith Nolan last winter. Nolan missed the cut at the PGA Tour Q School event late last fall by two strokes, but when he called his family to tell them the disappointing news, they were less than sympathetic.

"Nolan's son told him, 'Daddy, that's OK. We get to go to Peek'n Peak next year!'" Parry remembered after his third round Saturday. "When you hear stories like that, you want to join in. We're just thrilled and we absolutely love it here."

And that's how it is at this small golf/ski resort in New York's southern tier. Kids can take advantage of the waterpark or indoor pool like they would at Disney World, yet unique accommodations and activities appeal to all ages that the family can enjoy together.

Veteran Chris Smith has been to virtually every venue on both the PGA and Nationwide Tours and he can't remember a better family set-up than this one. He and his son, Cameron, 10, played the Lower Course at Peek'n Peak on Friday and Saturday, then joined his 14-year old daughter, Abigail, and wife, Beth, for a rousing match of putt-putt.

"It's just really nice," said Smith, who is staying in one of the luxurious condominium communities around the course. "You don't get too many weeks where there's a set-up where you can do all these things and the places are willing to basically let you have free run of the place."

In their first trip to Peek'n Peak, the Smith family has given rave reviews to one of the few events they all tag along to.

"We used to travel all summer, but now with the kids getting older and more active, it's getting harder," Beth Smith said of her family's travel situation. "We usually go as soon as school is over with and we pack up our bags and go. Then we'll pick and choose the rest during the regular year."

Roland and Lindsey Thatcher, as well as their miniature dachshund, aren't staying at The Inn like many of the players. But for the past three years, the Thatchers have loved to come back.

"There's so many things that Roland and I can do while we're here, so it's great," Lindsey Thatcher said. "He has the putt-putt, the other course, the bar, and it's nice to spend the time with him on the road in the summer."

Most of the tour wives go to about half of the events each year. The Peek'n Peak Resort has offered families the opportunity to spend quality time during a tour season that requires long days and lengthy travel schedules.

"They have been fully entertained and I can relax and play golf and I don't have to worry that they're stuck in a tiny, little hotel," Parry said, whose wife, Deborah, and 3-year old son, Kynan, are here this week.

Better yet, the Parrys and Smiths aren't munching on greasy foods from a local fast-food chain this week. Here, they can cook for themselves in one of the full-scale kitchens right in their living spaces.

"The family is always trying to find stuff to do at other venues," Smith said. "There's never a place you're staying at the tournament where there's so much to do. I can't think of another place on either tour that offers this kind of spot."

For the families that talk more on the phone than in person, this week has been a refreshing break from the ordinary. Especially as this tournament marks the midpoint of the tour season, it's nice to be given a dose of reality.

"I don't think people understand how nice it is to be here," Beth Smith said. "It's perfect and the accommodations are so good. Here, it's almost like a home away from home this week."