Golf fans seeking to attend the Ryder Cup next year through the event’s “random selection” process face being charged $750 (€690) for day tickets for the competition proper. The cost of attending Bethpage Black in New York, where Europe are seeking to defend the trophy won in Rome last year, is only likely to increase the sense the Ryder Cup is pricing out ordinary golf fans as it moves towards the corporate classes. The online backlash has proved fierce.
Those who have not already bought Bethpage tickets can register for free via the Ryder Cup’s official site for the random allocation. Successful applicants for the event next September will be informed by early next month. Only single tickets for each day have been made available although those picked via the ballot may be able to buy up to four, if they can afford them.
Practice days on Tuesday and Wednesday are priced at $255.27 (€234). That figure leaps to $423.64 (€389) for Thursday, on the apparent basis it includes the Junior Ryder Cup, celebrity matches and the opening ceremony. For Friday, Saturday and Sunday the cost is $749.51 per day. Organisers are kind enough to point out the price is inclusive of fees and New York sales taxes. Standard competition day tickets for Rome cost around €240.
Covered this time via what has been branded a Ryder Cup+ package is food and non-alcoholic drinks. Terms and conditions state: “Whenever you’re ready for a meal, simply redeem one entree, one snack, and one non-alcoholic drink per visit to any market concessions – and feel free to return as often as you’d like. Alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase.”
The Ryder Cup is typically a cash cow for either the PGA of America or the European Tour Group, depending on the host venue. However, in his strategic report to accompany recently-published accounts, the European Tour Group’s chair Eric Nicoli specifically addressed Ryder Cup challenges, despite attendance of more than 270,000 in Rome.
Nicoli said: “The staging budget for the Ryder Cup experienced significant macroeconomic pressures, driven by post-Covid supply chain challenges and disruption caused by the war in Ukraine, with inflation running at +22% compared to Paris 2018. In addition, there was complexity in operating in a country that is not accustomed to delivering large scale green field events. This led to a 35% increase in operating costs compared to Paris 2018.
“Nevertheless, strong increases in revenue across all key Ryder Cup revenue streams (ticketing, sponsorship, merchandise, digital and media rights) helped to offset these cost pressures.” – Guardian
