The 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, will be appointment viewing next fall when the U.S. attempts to win back the cup from the Europeans following its defeat in Rome. One glaring issue that's emerged around the event, at least to some, is that the average golf fan has been blocked out from the on-site viewing experience due to high ticket prices nearing $750 for competition days.
"We view ourselves as a Tier 1 event that's on par with a World Series or with an NBA Finals Game 7, that was a part of it," Bryan Karns, PGA of America Championship director told PGA Tour Radio. "When we look at pricing, we are able to tap into data from all these different venues. Our partner, Delaware North, they operate the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics, they operate Lambeau Field. We are able to see what do people pay, so that really drove this too. And, again, our position in this landscape, where do we see ourselves, I think that's the reality.
"There are people who have the Ryder Cup on their bucket list in the same way that someone would have a Yankees opening game World Series on their bucket list. We ultimately felt like that's where are. We've got a lot of people. The demand is at an all-time high for this event, and so we wanted to make sure we priced it appropriately."
The PGA of America released pre-sale Ryder Cup+ ticket information for the event this week with the following prices (total fees and taxes included):
- Tuesday Practice Day: $255.27
- Wednesday Practice Day: $255.27
- Thursday Practice Day + Junior Ryder Cup, Celebrity Matches and Opening Ceremony: $423.64
- Friday Match Day: $749.51
- Saturday Match Day: $749.51
- Sunday Match Day: $749.51
There are a couple caveats as the prices also include food and non-alcoholic beverages. For practice days only, kids under the age of 15 will gain free admission with a ticketed adult (maximum of two per) as well.
Billed as the biggest event in golf for the last decade, the 2025 Ryder Cup's increase in ticket prices compared to those at Marco Simone in 2023 (roughly $280 for competition days) and Whistling Straits in 2021 (roughly $350 for competition days) have rubbed some the wrong way.
Bethpage Black's place in the New York golf landscape only drives this conversation further. Considered by many as "The People's Country Club," Bethpage Black can be played for $80 on weekends by local New Yorkers or roughly one-tenth the cost of a ticket for a competition day at the Ryder Cup.
"You ask any New Yorker, they are so proud of Bethpage Black," U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said at the one-year-out Ryder Cup press conference. "This is their course. We have incredible courses in the area, Winged Foot, Shinnecock, but the real New Yorkers, they talk about Bethpage. They all have a story of playing with their dad, with waiting in line in their car and going out and playing Bethpage Black, and that's an extremely important thing for our team. We love Bethpage Black. We know how important it is to New Yorkers and we are going to go out there and love every second of it."
