Was I the only one unfazed when golf reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg posted the lofty Ryder Cup ticket prices for the 2025 edition at Bethpage back in October?
Golf fans and writers were raging as if they only just realised that top-level sport costs money.
Joking aside. The figures posted were as follows: $749.51 for a single ticket on a competition day, $255.27 for a practice day and $423.64 for the Thursday, which features the opening ceremony and celebrity matches.
These digits are obviously extortionate and ones that make me ponder who will pay for it and how many people will pay for it.
But incredibly, people do.
I will be shocked if Bethpage in Long Island isn’t packed with fans peeking and peering from every viewpoint. Interestingly, there is now a theory that the crowd might not be so raucous as once perceived, as the ticket prices could attract a different type of clientele. That’s by the by, anyway.
Unfortunately, this is the way things are. Tickets to watch the highest level of sport are at the highest level of expense, and events are compelled to ask for even more once they cross the inclusive food and drink threshold, which is what has happened with these Ryder Cup+ ticket quotes.
One day at the Ryder Cup in New York, where you can get an entree, a snack and a drink every time you visit one of the onsite markets for what is about £572, albeit non-alcoholic, is genuinely one of the kinder packages I’ve seen when diving into similar deals in other sports.
Most of the outrage about tickets probably ignored the fact that they included food and drink – little consolation perhaps, but it’s important.
Much like the debacle of those who were desperate for tickets to watch Oasis live, if you want things that are special and mean a lot to you, your emotions are tested with how long you can look at your wallet before reluctantly yanking out your bank card.
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And if you take too long or completely opt out, someone else will jump in and pay anyway. Sure, they’ve still paid over the odds, but a ‘buy now, worry later’ culture seems to have stemmed from this market.
It is hard to say £572 is good value, but this is a permanently vicious cycle we live in, and the value only increases when you peel back the layers of golf’s sporting counterparts.
Rugby, horse racing and football test the financial resolve of fans far more than the Ryder Cup. And don’t get me started on Wimbledon.
Given these Ryder Cup tickets offer amenities that are similar to hospitality and better than your standard ground access parchment, we have compared the 2025 Ryder Cup+ ticket prices to other enhanced offerings in other sports.
ALSO: How to get tickets for the 2025 Ryder Cup
ALSO: What is the Ryder Cup format?
Ryder Cup tickets debate
Ryder Cup 2025
Competition day
$749.51 (approx. £572)
What you get: Access to anywhere on the golf course and grandstands, an up-close chance to see players and watch golf, access to the Ryder Cup+ Inclusive Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Program
Tennis
Gentleman’s Final on Centre Court, July 13 2025
€10,459 (approx. £8,713)
What you get: Centre Court Debenture seats, Debenture Lounge access, watch on outside courts, all seats together.
Compared to the Ryder Cup: This is obviously a lot more expensive than one day at the Ryder Cup. A Wimbledon final can be thrilling and you are no doubt well looked after at the All England Club, but is there even a question about a comparison in value in this regard, given the Ryder Cup+ food and beverage service is tagged on too?
Rugby Union
British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia in 2025
£1,695 for hotel and match ticket
Compared to the Ryder Cup: This package obviously included a hotel as well as a match ticket, so you might say this is on par with the Ryder Cup prices if you take away an estimated price for the room. This doesn’t cover what food and drink you want to buy at the sporting event though and at the Ryder Cup, you can get extremely close to the action.
Horse racing
Day one of the Cheltenham Festival, 2025
Chez Roux restaurant: £900 ex. VAT
What you get: Four-course meal, complimentary bar, balcony views of the racecourse
Compared to the Ryder Cup: The quality of food was probably better at Cheltenham in this instance, and you could get alcoholic drinks here too with a more private viewing experience. But you can’t get as close to the action as with the Ryder Cup offering, which is a key point I come back to.
Football
Champions League Final 2024 at Wembley
Private SkyBox Gold – £5,900
What you get: In heart of the stadium, great view of the pitch, complimentary food and drink
Compared to the Ryder Cup: Given this price is for 90 minutes of football, with a little more added to either side of the game, this is vastly more expensive than one day of the Ryder Cup, which can keep you gripped for hours and up close and personal with the competitors.
Cricket
England vs India at Edgbaston in 2025
Private table in the Warwickshire Suite: £429 per person ex. VAT
What you get: Breakfast, three-course meal, afternoon tea, complimentary bar, panoramic view of the pitch.
Compared to the Ryder Cup: You aren’t as close to the action as at the Ryder Cup, you could be sat/stood a matter of feet from the players. The food offering is good at both events and they could both have you on the edge of your seat all day, too.
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How shocked are you at the state of Ryder Cup tickets? How expensive do you think Ryder Cup tickets should be? Will you be trying to get Ryder Cup tickets? Tell us on X!
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