Unearthed ticket prices for the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York have golf fans seeing red on social media.
The biennial showdown between Team USA and Europe is heading to Bethpage Black where the local New York sports fans are expected to bring an incredibly raucous atmosphere to one of the greatest and fiercest spectacles in golf.
But those passionate spectators may have already been priced out of the Big Apple bust-up.
Tickets for the Ryder Cup are some of the most coveted in sport, but even if they can get their hands on them, can they afford them?
Obtaining a golden ticket for the clash between Luke Donald’s underdogs and Keegan Bradley’s hometown heroes requires winning a ‘random selection process’, with tickets going on sale in November 2024.
Team USA will take on the Europeans in the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York next September
Unearthed ticket prices for the Big Apple bust-up have fans on social media seeing red
But even if fans survive the ballot, that might be as far as they get.
The Random Selection ticket sale will only include Ryder Cup+ tickets, which, according to the tournament’s official website, might as well require fans to remortgage their homes.
Entrance will cost a staggering $255.57 (£195.82) for practice days, $423.64 (£324.60) for Wednesday, and a heart-stopping $749.51 (£574.29) for actual competitive action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Ryder Cup+ tickets do include food and non-alcoholic beverages in addition to grounds access but the ‘scandalous’ pricing still left golf fans in uproar on social media.
‘It helps to understand that the PGA tour, PGA of America, and the USGA… don’t care anything about GOLF. The only thing they care about is themselves,’ one user posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘They are a group of greedy elitists. Contrary to their bulls*** about growing the game of golf, the only thing they care about is growing their bank account,’ they added.
Golf fans slammed the ‘scandalous’ and ‘greedy’ pricing for the biennial showdown
Golf journalist Kevin Van Valkenburg, who shared a screenshot of the pricings from the Ryder Cup website, argued that the astronomical cost could actually prove just as costly to the hosts themselves.
‘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,’ he wrote.
Meanwhile, others admitted that the cost of attending has priced them out of enjoying the tournament from the grandstands.
‘Had a great time with the wife at Pinehurst for the US Open,’ one golf fan posted. ‘Was looking forward to another trip for the Ryder Cup. There’s just no way at these prices when you can compare it to recent majors.’
‘My buddies and I were going to make the trip up from MD….until we saw ticket prices,’ echoed another.
Many social media users hit out a the powers that be, branding the pricing decision hypocritical in light of the sport’s recent drive to attract more fans.
Golf journalist Kevin Van Valkenburg suggested the cost could work in Europe’s favor
‘Holy hell. I’m pretty sure that the entire cost for Pinehurst Major for the full week was like $850 for tickets. That’s insulting,’ one fan shared. ‘Is there special pricing at least for kids or under a certain age? Way to grow the game…..’
Another sarcastically quipped: ‘And golf is having trouble growing its fanbase?? I have a hard time understanding that. These prices scream family attendance, no?’
‘Oh, it’s a given. This is going to be 90% corporate buyers. Nobody normal is paying $800 for a Ryder cup ticket,’ a third added.
Meanwhile, others claimed they’d rather spend the money on other events such as the majors or on actually playing the sport themselves.
‘That is insane! You could watch a whole week at the Open and still have money left over for merchandise,’ said Tom Stenner-Evans, a board member at England Golf Trust.
‘$80 is the NYS resident price for 18 holes on the weekend at the BLACK – you can play 9 rounds and have some change left over instead of attending a weekend round at the Ryder Cup – I choose to play golf instead of shelling out that much for one ticket,’ another golfer added.
Fans fumed with some slamming the hypocrisy and others admitting they had been priced out
‘At ‘The People’s Country Club’ … I could play 10 rounds there for the cost of attending one day of the competition. Shame on everyone involved,’ a third agreed.
The tickets are a stark contrast to the entrance fees required for the gladiatorial showdown between the Europeans and Americans in Rome last year.
General admission to Marco Simone ranged from $53 to $277 based on the day of the match.
The 2025 contest will take place at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale on Long Island from September 26-28.
