Are The Open Championship tickets too expensive?
The Open Championship isn’t a cheap event to attend by any stretch, but should it be? The team at NCG debate whether you get value for money with a ticket at golf’s oldest major
Over the last few years, ticket prices at The Open Championship have increased. For weekend admission at Royal Liverpool, it costs an adult north of £100 to come through the gates.
For the most part, that is more expensive than going to a Premier League football match, but is it worth it for a day on the links?
The team at NCG has clashed on this subject throughout Open week, so we’ve put the debate into words:
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Are The Open ticket prices too steep?
A three-figure price for a full day at The Open is value!
Ticket prices for The Open have gradually increased since my first visit to Royal St. George’s in 2011. I couldn’t say how much my ticket would’ve been at age 13, but I doubt it was more than £40 writes Matt Chivers.
Now at 25 years old, my ticket was £105 for Hoylake. This represents a steep rise in price, but I have no complaints.
You can arrive at The Open at 7.00 am and leave at 8 pm. That is 13 hours of watching the best golfers on the planet on one of the best golf courses in the country. You’re only doing yourself a disservice by turning up for a few hours.
There are very few sporting events at which you can spend literally half a day, basking in the sunshine and watching the icons you see on television in person. Some people go to watch football for the same price which lasts less than two hours.
The proximity to the players is the best thing about The Open. You can almost reach out and touch Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka (Not that I ever have, or would)
Sitting behind Tiger Woods stripe a driver down the fairway at golf’s oldest major is a priceless experience, and although he isn’t here this year, it only takes a couple of moments at The Open to make your ticket feel like a bargain.
The ticket price is reasonable, it’s everything else that adds up
Admittedly, £100 for a ticket to watch the Open isn’t outrageous, says Matt Coles.. If anything, it’s good value compared to ticket prices in other sports.
That’s only if you walk around though. For me, if you’re spending £100 to get a spot in a grandstand and just sit there all day, that is not good value. You can get much cheaper tickets to watch the Premier League, or a Test match.
Then, you have to factor in the price of the entire day, and that is where it starts to go downhill in my opinion.
£100 or so is great value for what could easily turn into a long day of live golf. But there is the food and drink to add on, and if you are there for 12 hours, then it will take a lot out of your wallet.
NOW READ: How much is a pint at the Open?
As with all sporting events, it isn’t cheap. Bring the whole family and you’ll be spending at least another £100-150 on food and drink throughout the day.
If you bring your own food, and you intend to walk around and see as much of the golf course as possible, then you’re doing it right!
However, sit in one spot and spend a load on refreshments, then you’re not getting good value for money.
NOW READ: Everything you need to know about the 2023 Open Championship
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Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
