The 2025 Ryder Cup is going to Bethpage State Park's Black Course on Long Island, New York, next year, and one of the biggest events in golf is almost certain to be a hot ticket in the New York market and beyond.
However, plenty of golf fans have scoffed at the prices for those tickets that have been published on the Ryder Cup website. Several golf commentators and online accounts shared screenshots of those 2025 Ryder Cup ticket prices, and fans have responded that those prices are just way too much.
I would like to go on the record now and say that if Europe wins the Ryder Cup at Bethpage because the crowds were turned into a polite snooze fest like LACC by the insane ticket prices, it's going to go down as a massive own goal. pic.twitter.com/wnAOP72lqA
— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) October 14, 2024
The tickets, specifically the Ryder Cup+ ticket mentioned in the online FAQ, include access to Bethpage Black and to the Ryder Cup+ amenities, including all-inclusive food and non-alcoholic beverages. After adding in New York sales tax and per ticket fees, the price isn't cheap. For practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, the tickets are $255.27. For the practice round on Thursday, which includes a Junior Ryder Cup exhibition, a celebrity match and a view of the opening ceremony, it's $423.64 per ticket.
For each of the playing days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the tickets are $749.51 each. On Friday and Saturday, there are eight total team matches. On Sunday, there are 12 singles matches. The total amount of golf played on both days, in terms of hours of action, is pretty similar. However, on Friday and Saturday, there are never more than four matches being played at once, meaning that four holes of the golf course are tremendously crowded with viewers compared to Sunday, when the matches are more spread out over the golf course.
Though the prices are eye-popping, the reality is that the PGA of America wouldn't price these tickets in the biggest media market in the country if they didn't think they would sell. New York City and stretches of Long Island are tremendously wealthy areas, and corporate interest in tickets can make those prices seem more reasonable.
There's also a thought that the higher ticket prices might deter fans who are looking to show up to simply scream, shout and drink obnoxiously -- a charge that has been levied at fans who have attended the two US Opens and the PGA Championship held at Bethpage Black. Maybe that's the case, but it's more likely that the PGA of America has recognized the revenue opportunity and decided to go for it. The four men's majors are offering more high-end ticketing experiences in favor of having more fans come through the gates, and making signficantly more money in the process. There's no doubt that this trend is continuing here and likely will for the foreseeable economic future.
