The Open Championship’s return to St Andrews promises to add another exciting chapter to the game’s history, but ahead of the event, ticket prices have already become a major talking point.
The ballot for tickets to The 2027 Open at the Old Course opens on July 6, 2026. It was recently revealed that on the final day next year, you’ll have to cough up £190 to attend the final round, which is an increase of £40 from this year’s championship at Royal Birkdale, and a £60 increase from 2025.
A ticket for Thursday is £150, and a ticket for moving day, Saturday, is up to £170. Practice days remain at a reasonable rate of £50 on Monday, £60 on Tuesday and £70 on Wednesday, with these being adult rates. Youth rates are less expensive – under-16s are free every day.
Many of our readers at NCG will remember the days of rocking up to the gate at golf’s greatest championship and purchasing a ticket on the spot. But given the game’s astronomical popularity that seems to be ever-growing, those days are long gone.
Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, said: “We pride ourselves on delivering an experience that is wonderful for the people that come through the gates to watch our championship”.
“By attending The Open, fans are also helping to support the future of golf with proceeds generated by the championship reinvested in activities which underpin our recently announced new strategy, which aims to inspire more people to play and engage with golf more frequently worldwide, sustaining the sport’s positive current momentum”.
When we posted our story on social media about the new ticket prices for the Open in 12 months, fans expressed their opinions, resulting in a mix of reviews.
We’ve gathered a mailbag of the most intriguing comments to gauge what the fans really think about ticket prices in golf, with some comments comparing them to years gone by at The Open, as well as how they mirror other sports, too.
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Phil: “£140 for me and my lad for Saturday, pretty much the same as a tier 1 Premier League game at Old Trafford”
Iain: “Blame the players, they’re the ones wanting bigger prize pots with tournaments trying to outbid each other’s winner’s pot”
John: “It wasn’t so long ago you could buy a week’s pass plus all your car parking for less than £300; last time I did that was at Carnoustie. Unbelievable value, but like everything, greed wins, and they’ll charge what they like because if we want to go, we will pay.
Nick: “Compared to other sporting events, I actually think that’s pretty good value”.
Aidi: “The answer is simply yes, unless you’re lucky enough to attend on a corporate, which is an awesome day; enjoy it at your local club or at home for a much better experience”.
Paul: “Way too expensive – we head to the Scottish Open instead”.
Marcus: “It’s cheap compared to other major sporting events; if over 1 million people put their name down for the ballot, I think that says what the demand for the event is. Welcome to how international sporting events are in the modern day; no point complaining about it”.
Dave: “I went to St George’s the other year, did five days Wednesday to the Sunday, £400, it was super worth it, but you do see more on TV”.
Lethangie: “Ridiculously overpriced, the only way to redeem themselves is to bring back the manufacturers’ tent and make it free for them to exhibit…. Stands cost a lot of money to design, but the manufacturers should be able to showcase products. The exhibition hall ceased many years ago because it simply cost too much money…. With the increase in ticket price, I want something more than just spectating, especially if the weather is poor”.
Stu: “Yes, I would normally go; however, I just go to the Scottish Open, tickets are a 1/3 of the price and 90% of the players are the same”.
Stuart: “It is ridiculous, all the big sporting events have become ridiculous, racing, football, rugby all the same”.
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Do you agree with the fans about their comments, and do you think there should be a change for when The Open is at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2028? Tell us in the Comments and on Facebook!
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