Meltdown Over Ryder Cup Ticket Prices Show Many In The Golf World Are Detached From Reality | Mark Harris

The Ryder Cup is viewed by many as the greatest event in all of golf. The battle between the Americans and Europeans comes around every other year, and the 2025 edition is set for Bethpage Black, located about 30 miles from downtown Manhattan.

A bucket list, biennial event being held just a quick train or car ride from arguably one of the greatest and most-expensive cities in the world is a recipe for high ticket prices, which is exactly what the PGA of America has delivered. 

Tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds will cost fans $255 a piece, Thursday practice round tickets that include the opening ceremony are listed for $423, while a ticket into the real action on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday costs $750. All of those costs are final as well. There are no added taxes or fees at checkout.

The most expensive ticket for a competition day during the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy was $277 and they were in that similar range for the 2021 Ryder Cup in Wisconsin. Comparing those relatively affordable prices to the cost for Bethpage has caused a legitimate uproar among golf fans and media across social media.

Former ESPN reporter and current No Laying Up writer Kevin Van Valkenburg was among the first to complain about the price of 2025 Ryder Cup tickets and already created a built-in excuse if the Americans aren't able to beat the Europeans next fall.

Brendan Porath of The Fried Egg brought up the idea that the $750 price tag "betrays" the fact that Bethpage Black is a public course that costs New York residents under $100 to play. Dan Rapaport of Skratch made a similar argument about Bethpage being "the people's country club."

Plenty, if not the majority, of golf fans seem to agree that $750 to watch one day of golf that features a group of just 24 total players is a very expensive ask.

This is one of those situations where two things can be true at once.

Yes, $750 is a lot of money, but when you take into account the demand, location, and overall prestige of the event, that $750 number looks much more fair.

The PGA of America, which organizes the Ryder Cup, agrees.

"We view ourselves as a tier one event that's on par with the World Series or an NBA Finals game seven, that was a part of it," Bryan Karns of the PGA of America explained on Sirius XM. 

"When we look at pricing we're able to tap in to data from all these different venues our partner operates - the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics - they operate Lambeau Field. We're able to see what people pay, so that really drove this, our position in this landscape, where do we feel ourselves? I think that's the reality."

"There are people who have the Ryder Cup on their bucket list the same way that someone would have a Yankees opening game World Series on their bucket list and ultimately we felt that's where we are. Demand is at an all-time high for this event so we wanted to make sure we priced it appropriately."

Ryder Cup Tickets Are Expensive Because They Should Be

Karns is correct, the Ryder Cup is a tier-one event just like Game 7 of the World Series, a Wimbledon final, or the Masters. All of those events, and practically any other one you can think of, carry extreme demand.

It can also not be stressed enough that things are extremely expensive in and around New York City. A lower-bowl, non-outfield ticket to Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Mets in Queens on Thursday night will cost you $300-$400 on the secondary market. Those prices will easily double, maybe even triple for a World Series game in New York. If the Yankees and Mets face off in the World Series, tickets will cost more than most people's mortgages.

But, just like every World Series game in New York or elsewhere will be a sell-out despite the hefty ticket prices, the 2025 Ryder Cup will be the same. Bethpage will be packed, it will be rowdy, and people will make lifetime memories. In today's sports world, especially in America, making lifetime memories typically costs money, and a lot of it.

The harsh reality is that the Ryder Cup isn't for everyone, just like attending the Super Bowl isn't for everyone.

Golf is among the most accessible sports to play in the world, but that doesn't mean attending golf's most-marquee event is or should be.