$750 Ryder Cup Tickets? Save Your Money And Stay Home

Last week, the PGA of America announced ticket prices for next year’s Ryder Cup.

Golf fans are not happy—and they shouldn’t be.

Tickets, which will be available via a lottery next month, begin at $255 for early-week practice rounds and extend to around $749 for competition days.

Outside of the Masters where patrons regularly dish out more than $2,000 on the secondary market, golf tickets rarely reach several hundred dollars.

You can get a competition-day grounds pass to the Players Championship for around $100-200 depending on the round. U.S. Open tickets can be found for slightly more. Those are pretty reasonable prices for major sporting events at historic venues.

But the Ryder Cup—the biggest pure entertainment event in the game—is pushing things to a new level with a price that immediately makes a lot of people say, “I’ll just watch it at home.”

Why such high prices?

Tickets for the last two Ryder Cups—held in Wisconsin and Rome—have mostly been around $200-250.

Now that price is getting more than tripled. What gives?

The market is what gives. It’s being held out on Long Island and PGA of America research showed that people were willing to pay heavily to be at Bethpage heckling Rory McIlroy.

They compared it to other similar events in the area, like a World Series or NBA Finals. The price—which is thankfully all-in without other service fees—is a reflection of that study.

So you have New York City and you have high demand. That’s a good start to have high ticket prices.

Operationally, hosting an event in the NYC area is more expensive. And the PGA of America said it wants flawless logistics (so not what happened at Valhalla, I guess?) to make sure fans can get onto the property easily and avoid long waits at the concessions.

Basically, it costs a lot to host a tournament like this. So all of us are paying for it and then some. The Ryder Cup is a cash cow for the PGA of America and they are going to get every penny out of this.

The last time Bethpage Black hosted a major, the 2019 PGA Championship, prices were significantly lower. Ryder Cup tickets are about 580 percent more expensive than the 2019 PGA.

This might keep some of the riffraff away from the course. I said some of the riffraff.

And, by the way, just volunteering at the event—offering your free labor—costs $392 per person after taxes and fees. That gets volunteers a uniform, a drawstring bag, a commemorative pin, food (during shifts only) and a tournament credential.

So about the half the price of an actual ticket but you have to work for it!

Why the price of admission isn’t worth it

I’m as much a supply-and-demand realist as anyone but that doesn’t mean paying $750 to attend a golf tournament is worth it.

Especially this particular event. The Ryder Cup is even less worth it than any other major golf tournament.

Sure, the PGA of America based their prices on the Ryder Cup being among the top sporting events in the country—but those events all have one ball/puck in play. You get to see everything from a seat you paid for.

The Ryder Cup typically only has four groups on the course at any given time. During foursomes, there are a maximum of eight balls in play due to the alternate shot format.

That’s not a lot of golf to watch, and you are competing against thousands of spectators for that golf.

You could go stand on one hole and watch each group come through but that might be the only time all day you get a perfectly clear view. Matches could end early and everyone on the property will be scouting out their own viewing locations.

This isn’t like another tournament where you can sit on one hole for a few hours or follow a random group around. If you follow one group at a Ryder Cup, you won’t be seeing much golf.

The opening tee shots of each day are electric. It’s an experience every golf diehard should seek out at least once. I’m not sure it’s worth $750 but it’s an incredible scene.

Listen, I know people will pay $750 (and probably more) for a Ryder Cup ticket. The PGA of America is a business and the Ryder Cup funds the majority of their operation. It supports the 30,000 PGA professionals across the country. If fans will pay the money, maybe they are right about the market value.

Having said that, is it greedy and a little slimy for them to do this? I would say so. As a former PGA pro myself, I wouldn’t trust the PGA of America to take my trash out. It’s been a poorly run organization as long as I can remember.

But the Ryder Cup is also a sporting event. This isn’t the price of gas. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to pay it. Ultimately, the fans will decide the market for tickets.

Personally, I would save your money for another Ryder Cup. Go to Hazeltine when you can probably get in for half the price and have virtually an identical experience.

Bethpage isn’t a particularly special venue. You aren’t going for the venue, anyway. You are going for the atmosphere, which you can find at any Ryder Cup.

My advice: Save your money.

Do you agree? Would you pay the $750? Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Fans at the 2023 Ryder Cup (GETTY IMAGES/David Cannon)