Hutchinson ? Some of the nation’s top golfers plan to pay up to $1,000 a day for a little piece of home during the U.S. Women’s Open next week, championship organizers say.

Ten to 15 of the higher-profile players will pay big bucks to stay in private houses while the homeowners go on well-subsidized vacations, organizers say.

“What they’re doing is trying to re-create their home life,” said Betse Hamilton, women’s championship director for the U.S. Golf Association. “Being on the road as many weeks as these players are, if you can create some sense of home, it’s good for their game in what’s a fairly pressure-packed situation.”

Organizers and homeowners won’t say exactly who is paying for private homes or exactly where they’ll be staying.

“That’s part of the deal,” said Terry Winkle, who’s packing up and heading for Nebraska while a player takes over his home in northern Hutchinson. “Otherwise, what would be the point?”

The USGA, aided by the Hutchinson Convention and Visitors Bureau, linked players with accommodations as they qualified for the championship.

In some cases, families are letting players live with them for a week, said bureau director Olivia Reynolds.

“Sure, there are hotel rooms utilized by the players, but the ones who can’t afford that for the whole week look for a host family,” she said.

Hamilton pointed out that home means the same thing to Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb as it does to anyone else.

“It means that if you want to make a meal, you can do that,” she said. “If you want to sit down on the couch and watch TV, you can do that. If you want to bring family members in and make them at home, you can do that.”

While privacy is important, it’s impossible for a homeowner to pack up and leave for a week without the neighbors knowing something’s up.

“In the past, the fact a big-name player’s there has pretty much been confined to the neighborhood,” Hamilton said. “What happens, generally, is that most of the neighbors give the player her sense of privacy.

“I’ve never known of neighbors ringing the doorbell and saying ‘Hi, welcome to the neighborhood.’ They’re all curious, and they will be here, too. They’ll be pleased to have a big name in the neighborhood. But everyone generally respects their privacy.”

Winkle learned two years ago that some pros might be looking for homes like his. He provided details and pictures of his home, and USGA officials viewed it before putting it on a mailing to golfers.

“Then it’s up to the golfers to make contact with you and negotiate,” Winkle said. “Rent, length of stay, things like that.

“I didn’t know her from Adam, frankly, so I thought about it and did some inquiring about who this person was. My secretary is a big golfer and she told me this was the Tiger Woods of women’s golf.”