The Ryder Cup Ticket Prices

[ChetlovesMer]

So, The Ryder Cup.

$750 per ticket, which includes food and nonalcoholic beverages, is that too much? 

What Ryder Cup ticket prices say about golf, PGA Tour breakout candidates and more: Mailbag

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Are ticket prices too high for the 2025 Ryder Cup? Yes. But it reflects reality.

 

We confirmed this with PGA of America Ryder Cup director Bryan Karns. The Ryder Cup+ ticket, which includes unlimited food and nonalcoholic beverages, is the only option for fans who want to see the competition. Karns shared the following: “The Ryder Cup+ ticket is the only grounds/general admission ticket that will be available, and there won’t be a ticket for sale without that amenity. 

 

So, The Ryder Cup.

$750 per ticket, which includes food and nonalcoholic beverages, is that too much? 

I've heard some folks saying they think this will ruin The Ryder Cup as it will only be the ultra-rich at the event and they don't feel like it will have a raucous Ryder-cup like atmosphere. Instead it will be a much more reserved country club style crowd. My thoughts are for me it turns it into much more a buddy-trip type experience. If I was going to attend, it wouldn't be a bring the family style event. It would be one of those get a couple of golf pals together and we each pay our own way.

I could see it working out. Maybe you skip getting a new driver this off-season and instead go see the Ryder Cup?

[iacas]

Unless you go on Sunday, you're paying $750 to watch 4 groups of golfers (eight total) play on average about 16 holes of golf. The "four at a time" thing is important, though, because how 50,000 people (they'll get way more than that) can even watch four matches… it just doesn't happen that way.

So unless you get to a hole you think is pivotal early, and sit there all day, you might see… ten golf shots from a decent vantage point all day?

And the lines for food and drink… you think those will be short?

It's a huge cost. Ridiculous.

[ChetlovesMer]

  On 10/18/2024 at 12:16 PM, iacas said:

Unless you go on Sunday, you're paying $750 to watch 4 groups of golfers (eight total) play on average about 16 holes of golf. The "four at a time" thing is important, though, because how 50,000 people (they'll get way more than that) can even watch four matches… it just doesn't happen that way.

So unless you get to a hole you think is pivotal early, and sit there all day, you might see… ten golf shots from a decent vantage point all day?

And the lines for food and drink… you think those will be short?

It's a huge cost. Ridiculous.

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You make very good points. 

My understanding is the last US hosted Ryder Cup cost $185.00 per ticket. (Did not include food and beverages). So, for fun lets say it's 100 bucks for food and beverage. Then the increase would be $185 up to $650. ... or a 351% increase. ... If you just look at inflation the cost should be around $230. 

Personally, I've never been to a Ryder Cup. So, I can't speak to the experience. 

[GolfLug]

I can't comment on RC ticket as never been there but if you want a random comparison, this year my son and I went to Madison Square Garden for a UFC night for his birthday. Tickets were $780 each, nothing included. Watched 15+ fights over 6 hours. Our seats were back on the third level so nothing special.

Before the night I thought prices were ridiculous. After, I thought they were still high but didn't feel like robbery or anything. Decent value. 

I suppose RC experience would be a solid one even with limited visibility of actual golf. But I am finding live special events are routinely coming at 3-4 times what I used to think they should be. And it's not just the dynamic pricing effect.

[iacas]

Playoff baseball tickets cost… I think PJ on Shotgun Start paid $210 to watch the Mets. Not lower bowl seats behind home plate, but… again, you're not getting close to or seeing all that many shots in the Ryder Cup, either.

I think the increase in just four years is the most damning stuff here.

[cipher]

With the way concert tickets have gone recently and the location of the event, I am not overly surprised. It is disappointing, but I am sure people will pay it. I went to a practice round at the Straits and to Erik's point, it was rather dull to sit and watch a few groups come through. I wouldn't pay this if it was back at the Straits again. 

Edited October 18, 2024 by cipher

[TN94z]

  On 10/18/2024 at 7:57 PM, cipher said:

With the way concert tickets have gone recently and the location of the event, I am not overly surprised. It is disappointing, but I am sure people will pay it. I went to a practice round at the Straits and to Erik's point, it was rather dull to sit and watch a few groups come through. I wouldn't pay this if it was back at the Straits again. 

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The increase in most events is nuts. As you say, concert tickets are crazy.  Ok seats for 3 at a concert now are going to be 750-1000.00 just for the tickets. Then everything else is overpriced as well. The Ryder Cup would be a cool experience but not enough value for me

[3jacker]

It's crazy.  But the crazy ones aren't the ones setting the prices, it's the ones who pay it (other than those with plenty of throwaway money).  We'll see if the demand is there.  If it is, I guess it's not crazy to charge that much.  I know I wouldn't be satisfied with the experience based on iacas' description of how it'd play out for a spectator.  I don't care about the food/drinks, I want to see golf.  

[bkuehn1952]

I have not been to a Ryder Cup. At $750 I doubt I will go in the future. I tend to compare things. A year long Senior pass at our city courses ($695) vs. a day at the Ryder. I prefer to play. I will watch on TV.

[jmanbooyaa]

As a huge fan of the Ryder Cup and living 15 minutes from Bethpage I am annoyed at the price. Bethpage for one is not a great viewing place. In my opinion it will not be an easy watch. Would I love to go absolutely. For $750 not so much. I think it is way over priced. 

[iacas]

  On 11/1/2024 at 9:20 PM, jmanbooyaa said:

As a huge fan of the Ryder Cup and living 15 minutes from Bethpage I am annoyed at the price. Bethpage for one is not a great viewing place. In my opinion it will not be an easy watch. Would I love to go absolutely. For $750 not so much. I think it is way over priced. 

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If they sell out, then there's an argument to be made it wasn't over-priced.

[jmanbooyaa]

  On 11/1/2024 at 10:53 PM, iacas said:

If they sell out, then there's an argument to be made it wasn't over-priced.

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You may be correct. I would wonder how many were bought up by corporations. 

[Wally Fairway]

  On 10/18/2024 at 12:16 PM, iacas said:

Unless you go on Sunday, you're paying $750 to watch 4 groups of golfers (eight total) play on average about 16 holes of golf. The "four at a time" thing is important, though, because how 50,000 people (they'll get way more than that) can even watch four matches… it just doesn't happen that way.

So unless you get to a hole you think is pivotal early, and sit there all day, you might see… ten golf shots from a decent vantage point all day?

And the lines for food and drink… you think those will be short?

It's a huge cost. Ridiculous.

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Great point - my experience from the 2004 Oakland Hills Ryder Cup. I got 4 tickets for Friday, had some buddies go with me and we saw shots on about 4 holes. You really have to decide who you want to see, then try to jump ahead to see them somewhere on the back 9. If you got into the grandstands then you'd likely have a good view only of that green/tee box. 

Sidenote: I knew a guy who was a member at Birmingham CC, and he was a marshal on the 18th hole and he was out there all day, both morning and afternoon groups. And he had 1 group play the hole in the morning and another in the afternoon. Huge corporate tents around the 18 green, along with some grandstands. And you get to see maybe 6 or 7 shots counting the approach and putts. 

Learned my lesson, I have no issue in going to another Ryder Cup, especially at the prices they want for 2025. I think it was $40 for a practice round (went to one of those as well) and maybe $75 for Friday/Saturday, $100 for Sunday. And it was "limited" to 20,000 tickets/day, which is still very crowded to follow 4 pairings around the course.

[Beastie]

Tiger Woods on Ryder Cup pay: 'I hope they would get $5 million each and donate it all to charity'

Edit - the link has no title, but basically Tiger wants $5 million for each US player to “donate to charity”  

They could put the Ryder Cup on free to air tv, and charge the fans a bargain price to get in. 

If you have to  give the players $60 million, that’s why the tickets are $750. 

[iacas]

  On 12/4/2024 at 2:07 PM, Beastie said:

They could put the Ryder Cup on free to air tv, and charge the fans a bargain price to get in.

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First, it is on free TV. NBC is free to anyone with an antenna, and is on almost any TV in the U.S. with a minimal amount of effort.

Charging "a bargain price" would be incredibly dumb. They charged $750 and the event sold out almost immediately. You could better argue they should have charged MORE, not less.

What happens if you charge less: secondary market resellers buy up even more of the tickets because they see value: if tickets were $250, they'd clearly have sold for $1k or more on the secondary market. That's tremendous value. Fans would end up paying the same or more, or just not being able to go. Sure, a few who happened to be online at the precise moment on a fast connection and didn't fumble with their credit cards might have gotten tickets for $250, but the secondary market and ticket brokers would have scooped up the vast majority with automated processes and bots and scripts, then re-sold them later on.

This way, fans get to purchase the tickets, and the PGA is earning that revenue, not the secondary ticket brokers.

Econ 101. Supply and Demand.

  On 12/4/2024 at 2:07 PM, Beastie said:

If you have to  give the players $60 million, that’s why the tickets are $750. 

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Nope.

[Ty_Webb]

As a supporter of the European team even though I chose to live in the US, this is kind of good news. I'm pretty close to Bethpage, but won't be going at these prices. Neither will the crazy drunk NY sports fans who would have made this a very difficult place to play as a Euro. The tickets will go to the city types who are entertaining clients and don't care about the money. Many of them are going to sit there and watch, not get all raucous. I am not dumb enough to believe that this is going to be like a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park for the Euros, but I think it will be significantly more subdued as a result of the prices. Even at $250 I would probably have been watching on the TV anyway so no real skin in the game. 

[iacas]

  On 12/4/2024 at 8:16 PM, Ty_Webb said:

The tickets will go to the city types who are entertaining clients and don't care about the money.

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I don't think so.

[Beastie]

  On 12/4/2024 at 7:18 PM, iacas said:

First, it is on free TV. NBC is free to anyone with an antenna, and is on almost any TV in the U.S. with a minimal amount of effort.

Charging "a bargain price" would be incredibly dumb. They charged $750 and the event sold out almost immediately. You could better argue they should have charged MORE, not less.

What happens if you charge less: secondary market resellers buy up even more of the tickets because they see value: if tickets were $250, they'd clearly have sold for $1k or more on the secondary market. That's tremendous value. Fans would end up paying the same or more, or just not being able to go. Sure, a few who happened to be online at the precise moment on a fast connection and didn't fumble with their credit cards might have gotten tickets for $250, but the secondary market and ticket brokers would have scooped up the vast majority with automated processes and bots and scripts, then re-sold them later on.

This way, fans get to purchase the tickets, and the PGA is earning that revenue, not the secondary ticket brokers.

Econ 101. Supply and Demand.

Nope.

 

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It’s not live on free to air tv in the UK, and hasn’t been since 1995. ( I pay a subscription to Sky for generally good golf coverage). There are limited highlights on the BBC for some golf events, but that’s it. Are other/all PGA events on NBC? 

Allowing ticket scalping is a systemic failure across sports and showbiz, which could be legislated against, but in the UK is not in any meaningful way. I don’t know much about the secondary market in the US or anti scalping measures. 

Charging more to keep prices down is an interesting concept, in practice no doubt you are right even if It sounds a bit Catch 22 

Do you think sports tickets and broadcast rights  should be sold on a purely capitalist basis, or is there an argument to say that some sports might benefit more from wider exposure and affordable access. ( golf in the US is apparently not one of these if tickets sold out at those prices so quickly) 

Fans might benefit from cheaper tickets and in the UK at least, TV coverage that reaches a wider audience.